The Joker's Little Girl: Ace Rising
by LizzySkellington
Summary: Alice or Ace of Diamonds as she is now being called, is growing up. Her Father wants her to be evil, but Robin wants her be good. Choices are made and Ace realizes that if you make your bed, you lay in it.
1. Alice

Hello! Thank you to all of the wonderful reader and followers of this story. I'm restarting it and I fixed it! I added things and took out others. I will be updating… well it depends on how many reviews I get. But don't worry, after three days of no reviews, I will update anyway. Enjoy!

-Lizzy Skellington

**The Joker's Little Girl Part 2 Chapter 1 **

Alice Quinn woke up to hysterical laughter. She glanced to her left. It was her clown alarm clock. Her hand limply hit the top of the clowns to make it stop laughing. Alison stretched and threw the warm purple comforter of her.

She sleepily walked to her 'bathroom'. Shedding her purple pajamas and green socks, her feet quivered against the cold granite floor. Walking to the moldy shower curtain, she moved it the side and stepped in. The dry metal made her palm ach as she turned the left knob, which only sometimes, produced hot water. She held her birthday wish back for warm water, because she was most likely going to need it for something more important later today. Freezing rain fell upon her. It oddly felt good, last night she had been so exhausted from training so hard that she didn't take a shower. There was only a little bit of generic coconut scented shampoo left, but since Alice had short hair, it did not matter. After shutting off the water and drying off, she carefully walked to the rusted sink.

Her tooth brush was the only thing in her 'bathroom' that was not in serious need of replacing. That was something her Father always made sure she had, was great dental supplies. It wasn't like she needed a warm dinner or nice clothes as long as she had a clean, white smile.

Her gaze fell upon her reflection in the cracked mirror above the sink. Her damp short brown hair drooped in small waves along her head and her green eyes looked tired. But it didn't matter. Soon she wouldn't have to train as hard, once the people of Gotham knew her name and feared her. She grinned. Each tooth in her mouth lined in a straight row. Her heart lurched in fear. She looked like _him. _Her gaze fell to her toothbrush in disgust. How could she be like him, when she couldn't even look at him? Sighing, she scurried into her bedroom.

Dressing in black pants and a purple t shirt she made her way to the make shift gym her parents had. The previous night Alice had stayed up and trained by herself because today was her fourteenth birthday. Her parents were going to let her watch them do their profession. She frowned in her so- called- excitement. However the constant warmness in the back of her head seemed to blaze under her scalp from her nervousness. If she fails tonight, well, that was a thought she did not have time to think about at that moment. Swallowing the excess saliva that had accumulated in her mouth, along with her worries, she continued to get ready.

This was the day she had been training for her whole life. She remembered her father constantly knocking her down when she was little. "Learn how to take a punch Alice," he would tell her. So she did.

Alice began to doing cartwheels and bending forward then backward. Alice had a gymnast build like her mother. Her mother had been teaching her gymnastics ever since she was three years old. Alice did one final summersault then began her trek to the kitchen, or what her mother called a kitchen. What is was, was a electric dented refrigerator, a sink, much like the one in Alice's bathroom only bigger, an electric stove, a table and four chairs. The 'kitchen' was located at the very back of the Fun House. It was a somewhat long walk from her room, which was toward the front of the building.

Passing a slight glance toward the empty, fairly large dog house, Alice frown deepened even more slightly. The Hyenas had died a month or so ago. The young teen had noticed the signs, the slower movements, and their reluctance to eat. Finally, her Father had had enough and taken each dog outside. Her Mother had tried to stop him. However after a difficult, 'Sophie's Choice' type decision between Alice and the Hyenas, Harley hugged her daughter close to her, while crying in her hair, waited for the gun shots.

All Alice could do was embrace her mother back and hope that Aunt Ivy would come back from her trip to a plant research facility somewhere in Switzerland. Ivy had promised to call. It had been three months and no call.

Realizing she was about to enter the kitchen, Alice put a gig grin on her face. The only thing her Father hated more than Batman was a sad face.

"Hello Ace," said the Joker. He was wearing his usual purple tuxedo. She leaded down and stiffly hugged him.

"Morning Dad," she replied as she sat down opposite her father."Hey Mom."

"Hey Ally," said Harley as she set a plate of pancakes in front of her.

"Thanks," said Alice as she began to eat her breakfast.

Harley gave her a kiss on her head and went into the living room.

Then the Joker got a huge smile on his face. Alice began to wonder why they hadn't said happy birthday to her yet. Even though she never had a real birthday party, however, recognition of one's special day is always nice.

The Harley came back with a rectangular green box with a purple ribbon on it.

"Happy Birthday Alison!" her mother sang.

Alice pushed the plate away from her and her mother put the box in front of her. She opened the box. And inside was the gift that would change her life forever.

Inside the box was a costume. It was like Harley's only instead of red it was purple. And there was a black A surrounded by a red diamond. There was no white colure, frills or jester hat. And a black mask.

"I love it!" shouted Alice, all of her worries were suppressed for the time being as she felt the cloth in her hands. Something snapped inside her. And a true, pure grin spread across her face. "Can I try it on?"

"Later, but now we have to talk about tonight," replied the Joker.

After telling Alice the plan she smiled and laughed an aerie laugh.

All day The Joker, Harley, and Alice stayed at home practicing and going over the plan .

Over the years The Joker had been teaching Alice how to use a gun, kind of, the proper amount of laughing gas, and the dynamics of a whoopee cushion. So that day was just a review.

Harley had helped Alice put on white face paint.

At 11:00 p.m. they left the fair grounds. In the car The Joker was driving, Harley was sitting next to him, and Alice was in the back seat.

On the way Alice did her best not to bite her lip with worry. Her whole future depended on tonight, whether she would be a villain or nothing. Live or die. Pushing the thoughts down into her stomach, she kept a small, evil smile painted on her face.

When they got to the bank, the Joker said to Harley "Wait for the signal."

Harley nodded.

"Be careful Ally," said Harley, turning to look at her daughter.

Alice said "Don't worry mom, I will." She, Harley and the Joker got out of the car. The Joker motioned to Alice to go to the building next to the bank. She climbed the fire escape of the building. A quick flash of her flash light was the signal.

Harley and the Joker entered the bank. The bank itself was small. The roof had a glass window. That's the whole reason for choosing this place. So she could get a bird's eye view of the whole thing.

Her green eyes darted from side to side. She watched her mother kick one of the night guards and her father collect the money.

"You do get a wonderful view from up here, don't you?" said a teenage boys voice.

Alice whipped her head around.

The boy, was no other than the caped crusaders side kick, Robin.

Her self defense instincts took over. Alice gave him a high kick. Which he easily dodged. For a boy who is also fourteen years old he was very skilled. She tried again but with a blow to the face. Robin ducked. He then punched her in the face. She went flying about two feet. She was now in the center of the roof. Her whole body burned with anger. She was forced to hide it from her Father, but when she would fight, it all poured out for the world to see.

"You should have ducked," said Robin, walking toward her.

Alice got up and tried to hit him again, and again, and again. But Robin blocked every blow again, and again, and again. And again Alice was knocked on her bottom.

"What's your name?" asked Robin.

"I'm going to kick your ass! That's what my name is," shouted Alice as she punched Robin in the stomach. He was surprised by this and had no time to block it. He was knocked on his back.

Alice then cart wheeled off the building and on to the one behind it.

Robin slowly sat up. That last punch knocked the wind out of him. "Who was that?" he asked himself. It was dark so he didn't get a very good look. He thought it was a girl from the sound of her voice. When he tried to stand up the pain in his stomach became too intense. He sat back down until the pain subsided.

Alice was now a couple of buildings away from Robin. She was panting. She missed the whole thing just because Bird Boy couldn't mind him own business.

Alice heard a window crash. She quickly got off the building at ran around to the bank.

Batman was holding a baterang and her Father was on the ground laughing. Her mother was being held by Batgirl.

The police weren't there yet.

She didn't know where Robin was.

Alice quickly went to her parent's car and popped the trunk. Inside was a bazooka.

The bazooka was heavy, but after getting her balance, Alice went over to the window. She aimed it at Batman. And fired. A red net was fired from the bazooka. The blast broke the glass.

Batman whipped his head toward the broken glass. He was bound by red rope in a matter of seconds.

Batgirl looked over at Batman who was on the ground. Harley then punched Batgirl and kicked her. Batgirl went down.

"Come on!" shouted the Joker. He grabbed the bags that were filled with cash. He ran out of the bank. Harley was close behind him. Alice was already in the back seat. The Joker and Harley got into the car and sped off. They heard sirens off in the distance.

"And one of the most important things about being a great criminal is a clean getaway," said the Joker, smiling at his daughter. Alice smiled in relief.

Thirty seconds after the Joker and his family left, Robin finally showed up. Batgirl had freed Batman and he stood. Giving Robin a disappointed look, the trio heard police sirens.

"Let's go," said Batman. They ran out of the bank through the back door, and disappeared into the night.

_Later in the Bat cave:_

"Where were you?" Shouted Bruce Wayne.

"There was this girl and we got into a fight. I almost won but she caught me off guard," explained Tim Drake.

Bruce looked at him in shock. He didn't think they would take her out this early. But what else would he have expected from the Joker.

"You know who she is, don't you?" asked Tim.

"Her name is Alison Quinn," replied Bruce.

"You mean the Joker and Harley had a kid?" asked Tim. "Ew."

"Yes, be careful of her. She is the Joker and Harley rolled in to one," explained Bruce as he typed some things into his computer.

"Don't worry. Next time I'll get her," replied Tim as he walked out of the Bat cave.

_In the Jokers car two minutes after they escaped._

"Alice, I know you took out Batman, which I am so proud of, and you obviously saw Bratgirl, but did you see the boy blunder?" asked the Joker.

"You mean Robin?" asked Alice. She knew it was a stupid question, but she didn't know if she should tell her parents because… she really couldn't think of a reason not to tell her parents.

"Yes Robin," said the Joker. "Did you see him?"

"Yeah, I mean yes, I kicked his butt too," said Alice. Smiling nervously, she remembered how her Father hated teenage talk. Knowing that if tonight was ruined, it would be her fault, she grasped her left hand in her right and squeezed, trying to rid the fire in the back of her head by distracting the pain as she bruising her fingers.

"Good! Did he bleed?" said asked the Joker.

"I don't think so," replied Alice.

"Well maybe next time," said the Joker, turning back to the wheel.

"Hey Daddy? I was wondering if maybe I could go on a heist by myself some time?" asked Alice. _Then at least some of the pressure would be off._

"Hmmmm," said the Joker.

"I did take out Batman by myself," said Alice.

"I'll think about it," said the Joker.

Before Alice could stop herself, her voice came out in a beg."But Dad-."

"Ace I said I will think about it. Now I am tired!" shouted the Joker.

The warmness traveled down her neck and burned her shoulders. Alice just gazed out the window. She thought about Robin. _I'll get you yet, boy blunder_ thought Alice, before she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

_At the fairgrounds twenty minutes later:_

The Joker and Harley pulled up to the fun house. It was only 12:30 pm. But it had been a long night for the three of them.

"Puddin' look," said Harley as she pointed to her sleeping daughter. The Joker smiled.

"You'll get the weapons in the morning. You grab the money, I'll get Alison," whispered the Joker. Harley and the Joker opened the car doors, and quietly shut them.

Harley grabbed the bags of money, while the Joker gently woke Alice. The three villains walked into the Fun House. All the while the Joker was telling Ace about how grand their next heist will be. Ace nodded slowly and tiredly.

The girl glanced to her mother. Harley worried expression was washed away by Ace's sleepy eyes.

The Joker slapped Alice on the back. She slightly lurched forward as if someone had shot espresso into her veins. "Well don't kiddo. Now go get some sleep, we have more training to do tomorrow."

The three departed to their own rooms.

Harley was already in bed. Her face paint was washed off and she was reading a book. The Joker then got dressed into his purple silk pajamas. And he got into bed next to his girlfriend.

"Hey Puddin'," said Harley putting down her book.

"What Harley?" groaned the Joker, who was sitting up and had his body turned to her.

"Do you think we should let Alice go on a heist by herself?" Asked Harley.

"Of course she is! I've been training her since she before she could walk," said The Joker.

"That doesn't make any-. Whatever. But what if something happens?" asked Harley.

"I mean if she gets thrown into Arkam it's not like she doesn't have loving parents that would break her out," said the Joker. He and Harley thought for a moment.

"Well, I think she's ready," said The Joker.

"But if she wants to go on a heist then who will give her a ride?" Asked Harley.

"We'll get her one," said the Joker with a devilish grin.

_Meanwhile in Alice's bedroom:_

Slipping under the covers, Alice's body tingles as in relaxed into the mattress. Her fist clenched the pillow as she remembered how angry Bird Boy how mad her. She had never felt so angry before! Breathing deeply she tried to forget him and the madness that surrounded her. Falling asleep without the craziness was easy after all these years, however it always seemed to return in her deep, sound part of her dreams. She bit her thumb to make the nightmare go away. No matter how hard she bit, even when the blood stained her teeth, the maniacal laughter echoed in her mind.

_At Wayne Manor:_

Tim slowly lifted the weight to his shoulder then back down. 'The Joker and Harley have a daughter? That's weird. And she's a villain. Has she even committed a crime yet? I don't think so, then why was she there? All I know is that I have to keep an eye on her. She could be worse than the Joker. She has Harley's moves and the Joker's brains. If I understand her now, she'll be easier to fight in the future.' He smirked at his plan then moved to the other arm.


	2. Anger

**The Joker's Little Girl Part 2 Chapter 2**

Alice woke up at around 11:30 the next morning. She sat up recalling the events of last night. Especially Robin. Her face still ached from where Robin had punched her and her thumb was covered with dries flakes of blood. She looked down and saw that she was still in her costume. Face paint and all.

Getting up, against her body's will, and walked to her 'bathroom'. After she took a shower, with amazingly, warm water and got cleaned up she went to the kitchen. On the kitchen table there was a note. Alice picked it up and began to read it. The note said:

_Dear Alison,_

_You're Father and I had to run some errands. There's some food to warm up in the fridge. Stay home today. Get some rest. You had a busy night last night. I love you. You know the rules. We'll be back at about 4._

_Love,_

_Mom_

Putting the note back on the table, she then walked over to the fridge to see what her mom had made her. Her mom had made bacon and eggs. They were in a smiley face. She suddenly thought of Robin's stupid face. Suddenly she didn't feel like eating anymore. Slamming the refrigerator door she looked down at the outfit she was wearing.

Alice realized she was wearing the same thing as yesterday. She ran to her bedroom and slammed the door, when she was alone, except for the cool air and giant pistols, she would do whatever she wanted. Slam doors… well that was about it.

Then her purple cell phone rang. Her Father had bought it for her in case there was an emergency. In reality, if there was an emergency, she would be the last person he would call. But Harley insisted that she had one. It was plugged into the wall. Checking the screen, saw who was calling her. It was literally her only friend, besides her Mother.

"What?" yelled Alice.

"Jeez, who put a knot in your panties?" Asked Cindy, Alice's best friend.

Alice rolled her eyes. She had known Cindy for about two years. They had met at the record shop her mother owned. She has red hair and hazel eyes and a lot of freckles. She was okay, but really clingy. Harley said it was because she didn't have a dad.

"Sorry," said Alice as she sat down on her bed "So what's up?"

"Nothin' much. Did I tell you about Mark and Lucy?"asked Cindy excitedly.

"Who?" asked Alice.

"Oh, yeah. You don't go to my school. Or any school. Tell me why again" said Cindy.

Alice sighed. It was hard not telling Cindy about who her parents are. However, lying was an easy way around that.

"Because I'm home schooled. My parents think that public schools are poisonous" said Alice, which was partly true.

"You are so lucky!" said Cindy.

"Listen I'm kind of busy. Talk to you later. Okay?" said Alice.

"Okay bye," said Cindy.

"Bye," said Alice. She hung up the phone and turned it off. She threw her phone onto her bed and ran out of her room.

She ran to the makeshift gym her parents had. The room was small but not too small. The walls were white. All it had was a punching bag, a tread mill, a wall of guns and a picture of Batman on a dart board with darts. Alice ran up to the punching bag and began to hit it with all of her might. As she punched she saw the scars of her years of training. They decorated her arms like a tattoo would. Alice tried not to look at them. _Wear them with pride Ace. _Her Father once told her. _Why not? There permanent aren't they?_ Punching the bag even harder, the mussel in her shoulder began to cramp up.

_Stupid frigging Robin. With his good doing and fighting skills. And that messy hair. Hasn't he_ _ever heard of a comb? He's the enemy. I can never forget that he's the enemy. Never._ Alice pressed her finger tips into her arms. Her mother made her cut her nails after she saw the scratch marks. Alice never did any real damage. Thank god her Father never found out. Or else instead of her dull nails, he would make her use a _knife. _

Sitting on the mat, with her head buried in her arms, Alice thought about Robin. He was a jerk, but he wasn't mean. But he works Batman, so, he must be bad. _Well he was kind of cute. No! Wait what am I thinking? I can never forget …_ Alice's thought were interrupted by the sound of footsteps in the hallway.

Alice stopped punching the bag and went over to the wall of guns and picked up the gun that shot boxing gloves. She opened the door and crept down the hall way. Her Father had prepared her for this, if the government or Batman ever found out where they lived. Gulping down her fear, Alice gripped the gun close to her. She was still walking down the wall way when someone shouted, "BOO!"

Alice screamed. She whipped around and shot the punching glove at the person. He went flying. The person was of course, The Joker.

The Joker moaned in pain as he fell over. Alice realized who it was and dropped the gun. She ran over to her fallen Father.

"Daddy! I am so sorry!" apologized Alice. Sweat dripped down her forehead as she wondered what he was going to do to her.

The Joker propped himself on one elbow.

"It's alright Acey," grumbled the Joker as Alice stretched out her hand to help him up. He swatted her hand away. Getting to his feet, cocked his head to the side. "Why are you all sweaty?"

"Oh, I was working out," explained Alice, as she wiped her hands on her sides.

The Joker grinned. "Mommy and Daddy have a surprise for you." He put a purple blind fold on around her eyes. He gently began to push Alice along. When they were outside, The Joker took off the blind fold.

"Tah-da!" smiled the Joker.

Alice's mouth fell open.

Harley was standing next to the surprise. It was a brand new black with purple aces, Vespa. Alice just stood and stared.

"You'd better close your mouth. You're starting to drool," suggested the Joker. Alice shut her mouth and hugged her Dad.

"Thank you!" shouted Alice. She pulled away and ran over to her Mother. "Thank you so much," said Alice as she hugged her mother.

"You're welcome sweetie," said Harley. Alice let go of her Mother. She got on her new vespa. She turned it on. The engine growled.

The Joker walked up and turned it off.

"Now listen Acey. We got you this bike in case there is an emergency. The Batman knows about you now. Well he's always known about you. So, don't ever take it out without our permission," explained the Joker.

Alice was speeding down some road downtown. She had just robbed a jewelry store. The bad filled with diamonds and jewels were under her seat. They dully jingled to the sound of the motor. The cold, polluted, crisp air of Gotham felt good on her painted skin. Grinning, the young villain remembered the heist she had just committed.

_Silently disabling the alarm, Ace picked the lock of the back door to Gotham City Jewelry. The door opened with a small creak. The girl ducked inside. Shutting the door behind her, Ace put on her night vision goggle and looked around the back room. There was nothing more than a few computers and files upon files. _

_A small red light blinked above her as Ace reached into her bag and pulled out one of her gadgets. It was a gun that shot black putty. Firing the gun at the security camera, Ace made her way to the safe which was located behind a desk which was labeled "Manager." _

_Pulling out her stethoscope, Ace leaned against the cold metal and turned the lock. The safe opened with a satisfied click. Diamonds, gold, and silver sparkled in the darkness. Opening her bag, the young thief emptied the safe. _

Ace was pulled out of her memory when she saw the bank at which her parents robbed the night before. The window that Alice shot the net through was demolished. Also there was yellow tape around the boarder.

And she saw the building her and Robin fought on. 'This is so stupid' thought Alice as she pulled into the alley that was behind the building. She parked the vespa behind a dumpster. She climbed up the fire escape. When she was on top of the building she looked around and kicked some rubble with her black shoe. 'Why am I even up here? This is so stupid,' thought Alice as she let out a loud sigh.

Robin watched Alice stand on the roof of the building. He pulled out a bat line and fired it at a street lamp. Once it was secure he swung over to her.

Alice turned around at the sound of him landing on the roof. "What are you doing here?" She asked him.

"I came to… introduce myself," he replied.

"I already know who you are bird boy," Alice said as she hands formed into fists.

"And I know who you are Alison," he quipped.

"My name is Ace!"

"Sure whatever," said Robin

Ace's fist tightened. Her covered fingernails burrowing into her palms. "Do want me to kick your ass again?"

A scream pierced the air. Robin quickly followed the noise.

"We are not done here!" yelled Alice. She ran after him. First he interrupted her thinking. Then he wanted to be a goody- goody and introduce himself. What are they neighbors? And then he runs off just because someone screams for help! Robin descended into an alleyway. Ace was so angry she followed him.

Two very large men charged at them like two wolves on two fauns. Ace could make out four men total. The other two were harassing the woman.

Robin knocked out one of the men by hitting him in the back if the head. The second one was coming up behind him. Alice, who was still very angry, just wanted to hit something. She kicked the guy in the stomach then in the face. When he came after her, she tripped him. And he did not get up.

Robin had taken out the guy who was holding the lady by a quick gab to the jaw and the stomach. Alice jumped on the guy who was holding the lady's purse. She slammed him into the wall with her feet.

"Thank you so much," cried the woman as she grabbed her purse and ran down the street.

Robin had tied the four knocked out men together so the police could pick them up.

Still very angry, Alice walked up behind Robin so she could hit him. She raised her fist; however she then slipped on a piece of old newspaper. "Whoa," she said as she lost her balance. Robin swiftly caught her. If someone was walked into the alleyway, they would see a hero and a villain posed like the poster for "Gone with the Wind."

Suddenly, there lips crashed into each other in a quick, luke-warm kiss. It ended as quickly as it started. Hurriedly, Ace got out of Robin's arms. She threw back her fist and punched him square in the nose.

Scrambling up the fire escape, Ace heard the sidekick call to her.

"Wait! Come back! I have a motor cycle. It's… black and yellow. I could let you ride it. All the other girls think its cool," shouted Robin. He exhaled deeply, realizing she wasn't coming back.

Ace was three buildings away, face blushing and lips burning.

_The next morning at the breakfast table:_

"Hey Ace," said the Joker peaking from his newspaper.

"Yeah?" Asked Alice.

"Next time you go out and put your bike in the garage, would you have the courtesy to close the garage door?" said the Joker returning to his newspaper.

"Sorry Dad," said Alice.

"You wouldn't be my daughter if you didn't sneak out the first chance you got," said her father, smiling and once again returning to his newspaper. Alice smiled too, and finished her breakfast. However, she kept smiling at her cereal bowl and her spoon lovingly chased the rainbow loops.

_Later:_

Landing on her bottom with a thud, Alice tamed her temper. 'Damn,' she thought angrily, clenching her fists. 'I need to keep my head straight.'

"Alice get up and while you're at it, get your head out of your ass!" commanded the Joker.

Alice stood. Her body straight and fists up.

"Now," said the girl's insane father. "Let's try this again." He aimed a giant, red boxing glove at her. He pulled the trigger.

Alice twirled out of the way. Another glove rocketed in her direction; she expertly jumped out of the way.

'I wonder when I will see him again,' thought Alice as a punching glove came at her head.

Blackness filled Ace's world. Voices surrounded her.

"What is wrong with her? She's had her head in the jack- in- the- box all day! She needs to pop back out!"

"Okay! I'll talk to her," explained Harley worriedly looking at her unconscious daughter.

"Good! Now if you need me, I'll be in my study," said the Joker. The gym door slammed shut and the stomping of angry feet was followed by the slam of another door.

Ace slowly and painfully sat up.

"Are you okay Ally?" asked Harley, putting her arm around the girl. "What going on?"

"I'm okay mom. I'm just tired. That's all," explained Alice, not meeting her mother's gaze.

Harley looked suspiciously at her daughter. "Well, if it's something else, you can always talk to me about it. But if you chose not to tell anyone about it, don't make it look so obvious that there is something to hide." She patted the girl's shoulder lovingly. "Lie down. I'll go get you some ice."

"Holy Houdini! Ace did you do this all by yourself?" asked the Joker as he entered the gym and held up the bag of last night's heist. "Well of course you did this but, why didn't you say something?"

Alice could feel both of her parents' eyes burrowing into her. "I forgot?" asked Alice, hoping her Father would approve.

Her father just stared at her. Then a grin broke on his face and chilling laugh erupted in his throat. He ripped open the bag and the diamonds, gold, and silver scattered around the Joker and onto the floor.

_In the Bat cave:_

"Bruce, what happen to you?" asked Tim in a slightly grossed out tone. White bandages were strapped across the man's shoulder and torso.

"Cat woman was stealing another rare jewel. We fought. I think she did more damage that I did," said Bruce his fingertips lightly touching the bandages.

"There you are sir," said Alfred removing his rubber gloves and throwing them in a nearby trash can.

He thought about asking if Cat woman went to jail, however Tim already knew the answer. 'Of course she didn't.'

Tim remembered the quick kiss he had shared with Ace. He remembered the emotional and physical pain of her punching him and leaving him. Glancing at Bruce's bandages he realized the likely hood of he himself ending up like that. Hurt, alone, and wondering if the next time they meet will be different. Knowing it in the end, it will always be the same.

Bruce saw his young ward blindly staring at his feet and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tim, what's bothering you?"

Snapping out of his gaze, Tim answered him," Nothing, It's just I have a test tomorrow and I forgot to study for it. So, uh… bye." Tim ran up the stone stairs into Wayne Manor. 'Just keep it professional,' decided Tim. However his mind returned Ace and he groaned in frustration.


	3. Sadness

**The Joker's Little Girl Part Two Chapter Three**

_The next morning:_

Alice got up the next morning feeling really angry. After working up the courage to finally open up to her mother, she was shot down almost instantly. Harley had told her to go hang out with Cindy today because her parents wanted "alone time".

_The night before:_

"_Alice honey, go play with Cindy tomorrow. Your Father and I want to spend some alone time," her mother explained handing her wads of cash._

"_Mom, don't take this the wrong way but I kind of feel like you put Dad in front of me some times," Alice explained. _

"_Don't think I would ever put you in front of my Puddin'," Said Harley before walking to her and the Joker's room._

_Alice stood there, money in hand, mouth agape. She slowly shook her head and walked to her room._

She really wasn't in the mood to hang out with Cindy. She wasn't a very good kid. And Alice knew that. But she didn't bother to tell her. Alice wanted to see how much trouble one girl can get into. She remembered the first time she had met Cindy. It was at Cindy's mother's record store, which was called "Strange People," and it had just recently opened.

_Three years ago:_

_ Shoulder's straight, hands in pocket with fingers wrapped tightly around her money, Alice walked into the new record store that had opened three weeks previously. This was the first time her mother let her go into a store by herself. _

_Shelves of old records surrounded her. Posters of people with wild and frizzed hair stared at her. The eleven year old glanced behind her. She saw her mother's black wig walked into a boutique that was across the street. Facing forward, she was met by extreme green eyes. _

_ "Hi! Welcome to Strange People! My name is Cindy," said the girl who also had red, frizzy hair, much like the people in the posters. "What's your name?"_

_ Alice stared at the girl with wide eyes. Before this moment, the young girl had never spoken to anyone besides her clown father and her blond mother. _

_ "Cat got your tongue?" Cindy asked playfully. _

_ Alice quickly shook her head. _

"_Then what's your name?" Asked the red headed girl. _

_Swallowing the extra saliva in her mouth, and answered, "Alice."_

"_Nice to meet you Alice," said Cindy, grinning a toothy grin._

_Alice was suddenly reminded of her father. His big happy- go – crazy grin that she had come to despise. A grave look rolled over her eyes. _

_Cindy, however, kept smiling. "Do you like The Beatles?"_

"_Who?" asked Alice. She rarely listened to music. She only listened to it when she was alone with her mother and they only listened to bubbly pop songs. It was their little secret. 'Everybody listens to music,' she had told her. _

"_You've never heard of the Beatles! That's unheard of! You have to hear them, they are amazing!" said the excited red head._

_Everyone in the store was staring at them. Pink was tinting Alice's cheeks. Cindy stared at her, waiting for an answer. _

_Alice glanced behind her. Her mother was nowhere in sight. 'Mom won't mind and dad won't find out, so….' "Okay."_

_Cindy grabbed Alice's arm and began to pull her towards the listening booth which was located at the back of the store._

_An hour later Harley strolled into the store. Alice, who had a bored expression on her face, was standing near the front counter with Cindy. Who seemed to talk. And talk, and talk._

_Behind the counted was Cindy's mother. Ms. Harrison. She was busy ringing up a man with a bald head and a pony tail. _

"_Sorry Alice I took so long, there was this sale and-"Harley stopped talking when she saw the red headed girl smiling up at her. "Baby, who's you new friend?"_

"_Cindy," she replied shortly. "Bye." Grabbing her mother's hand, Alice pulled her towards the door. _

"_Bye Alice! See you later!" Cindy was still waving after the glass door shut behind them. _

"_She seems nice," said Harley. Gazing down at her only daughter, she thought about how lonely she must be. They played, but she had to wait hand and foot on the Joker. It was nice for her to have a friend of her own. She hoped she could convince her Puddin' of that as well. _

_That night, angry yelling echoed through the cold Fun House. Alice curled into a ball under the covers and hugged her knees. Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back and continued to listen to her parent's argument. _

_In the morning, Alice munched quietly on her cereal. Harley walked up behind her and patted her head. Turning around to face her mother, Alice held back a gasp. _

_Harley's right eye was swollen and purple. "You can have Cindy as a friend," said Harley with a small smile. "But don't bring it up to your father either and don't let it interfere with your training ever. Or else you can never see her again."_

_Alice nodded. "Yes Mommy." _

For that moment on, Alice thought she owed her mother for talking her Father into having a friend she didn't even want. But at times, she almost had fun with Cindy. They usually went to the mall or her mother's store. And it would be nice to get her mind off Robin for awhile. 'I need to get over this silly crush,' she thought to herself as she got out of bed.

After Alice got dressed she went to the kitchen where Harley was staring with wide open eyes. She gasped. The Joker peeked from his newspaper and rolled his eyes. Alice then looked down at her outfit. Her shoes were red. Her pants were green, and her tank shirt was yellow.

"Oh my god," whispered Alice as she ran back up stairs. She looked in the mirror. She didn't even think about the colors as she picked these out. She quickly undressed and put on all black. Black skinny jeans, black t-shirt, black boots, and a black coat. When Alice came back she asked, "

How 'bout now?"

The Joker looked up from his newspaper, "Now she looks like Batman."

A long thirty-seven minutes later. Harley dropped off Alice at the Gotham city mega mall. Alice went to the food court to look for Cindy. She wasn't hard to find with all that red hair. Alice walked up to her friend and tapped her shoulder.

"Hi Alice," greeted Cindy.

"Hey," said Alice, "let's go look around."

"Okay," said Cindy as they walked off.

They first went to Nordstroms'. Alice went looking around while Cindy went to look at other stuff. Alice didn't find anything so she went to find Cindy. Cindy didn't find anything either so they decided to leave.

But just as they were about to go through the security Alice said trying to keep her cool, "freeze."Cindy stopped and so did Alice. "What did you steal?" asked Alice.

"What? I didn't-"began Cindy.

"Yes you did. There's a cop twenty feet from your left shoulder. And there's another one twenty feet from my right should, who's pretending to sell toasters. I don't think so," said Alice.

"Alice-,"began Cindy again.

"What did you steal?" Alice asked again.

"Perfume," Cindy confessed.

"Now I want you to laugh and give me the perfume bottle," said Alice. Cindy gave a nervous laugh and handed Alice the perfume bottle.

She commanded her pulse to slow down. A bead of sweat dripped down the back of her hair line. Alice walked over to the nearest counter, which happened to be the one with the security guard selling toasters. "I'm sorry but my friend forgot to pay for this," said Alice as she pulled out a wad of hundreds.

"That will be $54. 86," said the cashier. He was a medium sized man with dirty blond hair. Alice gave him one of the hundreds. He rung it up and put it in a bag and gave her the change.

"Have a nice day ladies," said the casher/security guard in a cold voice.

Alice smiled a friendly smile. Her toothy grin disappeared as if it was never there, when she turned to Cindy. "Let's go," said Alice as she passed Cindy. She then handed her the bag. They walked out of the store.

When they were about 50 feet away from the store Alice stopped Cindy.

"Listen Cindy, if we're going to hang out you can't ever do anything like that again. If you really want something I'll buy it for you," said Alice with a poker face. The last thing she wanted was for her to get caught petty stealing.

"You don't have to talk to me like that-,"began Cindy.

"Yes I do," said Alice.

Cindy nodded and they walked on.

Alison Quinn's #1 Rule:

Don't be stupid.

_The next morning in the kitchen:_

Alice was eating mixed fruit.

"So Alice, what are you going to do today?" asked her mother. She was eating toast.

"I was hoping to go for a walk down town and maybe do a little shopping," said Alice.

"Don't get into trouble. You wouldn't want to get caught by the police without your make up on," said the Joker, who was eating bacon and eggs. And for once he wasn't reading a news paper. "And if any one gives you trouble, shoot'em." He slid a small pistol in her direction. She placed it in her purple boot.

Alice nodded and continued eating her breakfast. Her eyes glaring at her food as she at it.

_Downtown, later that day:_

It was almost summer time, so it was getting pretty hot. She was wearing black leggings, a purple skirt, a black purse and a black t-shirt that had the clown from "IT" on it.

The sun was shining, a cool breeze blew past her and Alice's temper was fiery hot. She clenched her fists and stomped her feet. She was heartbroken at her mother for loving the Joker more than her, she was angry that her father made her mother love him, and she was confused because Robin stole a kiss. Her first kiss. She gritted her teeth in frustration.

As she walked she passed an alley. A guy that looked about twenty years old, jumped out in front of her.

He had white face paint on, red lipstick, cheap, greasy, green colored hair, and he was covered from head to toe in this ugly shade of purple. "Hello there sweet cakes" said the guy. Then he smiled.

Alice almost puked. He had these yellowish green teeth and had breath that was so bad he could burn the grin of the Cheshire cat.

Then about four others guys that fit the same description of this idiot jumped out of the alley too.

"Who are you guys supposed to be?" asked Alice, in a bored voice. However, her muscles tensed and her hands balled into fists.

"We're the Jokers," said the guy who had a high voice for a man. But not for a woman.

"You are a Joke," said Alice as she smirked.

"Listen you little bi-"said the guy, but before he could finish his sentence Alice's foot scraped across his mouth. The guy fell backwards. The four other guys ran toward her. Alice just kept her fists up. She punched, kicked and swore at the guys who fought like little girls. By the time she was done beating up the five guys they were all trying to crawl out in the alley. Alice walked over the moaning bodies, occasionally stepping on one or two in the process. She walked out of the alley and felt a little better.

_That night:_

Ace put the red jewel, which fit in the palm of her hand, in her bag. She climbed the rope that got her there in the first place. Robbing the museum was the easy part. The hard part was getting out.

Suddenly an overweight security guard came running toward her. He shakily pointed his pistol at her.

She stared wide eyed at him. 'I thought I got all of them,' she thought angrily. When she realized how pathetic he looked, Alice couldn't help but laugh nervously. He probably hadn't fired a gun his whole life. She pulled out a small smoke ball from her belt. She lazily threw it on the floor. She began to quickly climb the rope. The man's hysterical laughter rang in her ears.

Ace reached the top. She hadn't seen Robin or Batman all night. Not that she cared. She quickly glided off the building and got on her vespa and drove home.

Robin sat on the building a few blocks away from her. In his hand was a tracker.

_The next night:_

Robin swung from building to building looking for Ace. Last night he planted a tracker on her. He found out she lived somewhere on the out skirts of Gotham. But the signal was lost half way. He spotted her sitting on the roof of a small, old theater with her feet dangling over the side.

He gently landed on the roof. He walked up behind her with a smirk on his face. His feet stopped on their own. Ace's face was in her hands. Her body would rise, and then falls back down as if she was tiredly climbing down stairs.

A pang of guilt hit him as he watched her. 'What had the Joker done to her?' he thought. 'Did he find the tracker? Surely he would have been used to it by now. But so would she.' He inwardly sighed. It was his job to help people. And she was in need of help.

Robin cautiously walked up to her. He sat down next to her on the ledge. Ace slowly turned her head toward him. White face paint was running under her mask and down her cheeks.

"What are you looking at?" she asked angrily.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Ace stared at him wide eyed. A tear fell from her left eye. She quickly wiped it away. She placed her head back in her hands.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

Her head snapped in his direction. Robin could see the misery painted on Ace's face. He eyes were glossy and her black lips as quivering. "You wouldn't understand."

"Try me," he said simply.

She glared at him. He was her wince from the pain. "Okay. Let's just say that my parents got into a fight because of me and Mom got the brunt of it."

"Does that happen a lot?" he asked. He imagined that happen a lot. But it must be hard on her.

"What do you care?" she asked getting on her feet.

He also stood. "Let me help."

"So you can tell your precious Batman about me. I don't think so." She turned to leave. He grabbed her wrist.

Ace's other hand slapped him in the face. He immediately let go. He covered his now red cheek with his green glove.

Her eye brows furrowed in anger, however her eyes glistened with sorrow. No one had ever wanted to help her. Her father threw a gun at her and told her to learn how to use it before he used it on her.

"Fine," he said before turning around.

Ace's gloved hands were in fists. She bit her lip. 'Should I be doing this?' she thought to herself.

"Robin wait."

He turned to face her. "What?"

"I'm… sorry okay. It's just, I get really angry some times," she quickly explained.

"I can tell," he replied. "But, I mean, so does everyone."

"I'm not everyone."

"Neither of us is," he smiled.

His smile made Ace feel funny on the inside. Like a when she ate too much candy when she was little. A sweet sick. She had never really had someone to smile with. She decided she liked it. She giggled. He chuckled. There was an awkward silence between them.

"So…," began Robin.

"Yeah?"

"Do you feel better?" he asked.

Ace was silent. The sadness she usually felt was, not gone, but covered with something else. A slight warmness in her stomach, like when she drank hot chocolate on a really cold day. Slowly, she nodded. "Yes I do."

Stepping closer to Ace, lips slightly puckered and eyes closed. He felt something push on his chest. He opened his eyes.

"Whoa, we kissed once and it was a very important moment. But that doesn't mean we are going to kiss every time we meet," explained Ace taking a step back.

"But I want to kiss some more," said Robin his eyes pleading.

"We're fourteen! Have some self control!" said Ace.

"Exactly, I'm a fourteen year old boy. I have no self control," Robin said in defense.

"That sucks for you then," said Ace with a smile.

Robin's arms fell limply to his sides. Deep frown lines formed on his face.

Ace laughed, making Robin laugh with her. "I'll see you later okay?" asked Ace. Before Robin could answer, she was already on her dented vespa, with ignition turned on.

"Wait," said Robin. The sound of her vespa was already fading. "Damn."


	4. Enthrallment

Happy Valentine's Day!

**The Joker's Little Girl Part 2 Chapter 4**

_Two weeks later:_

Alice stared into the darkness of her bed room. Body aching, mind aching, and heart aching. She had not seen sunlight in thirteen days, twenty- one hours and three minutes.

She couldn't stop thinking about Robin. He was nice to her after she fought him. Guilt had buried her in her own self loathing. For the day after her encounter with Robin, she did not care about anything. And afterwards, she wished she had cared about one thing. Following her father's number fifth rule.

_Sitting cross legged on her father's purple "throne", Alice's breathed into her wrist. She intently listened to her heart beat, trying to keep it as even as possible. Her closed eye lids began to feel even heavier. She was trying to reach a new understanding. Of why someone she was so mean to, would be nice to her. However the thought of him trying to kiss her was, in her opinion, hilarious. _

_ A lone giggled escaped her lips and bounced off the cold, concrete floor and the high, windy ceiling. _

_ "What's so funny Alison?" asked a chilling voice. _

_ The young villain's eyes shot open. Standing in front of her was the Joker. Her body tensed up immediately. "Nothing," Alice said quickly. _

_ The Joker's eyes narrowed. He leaned in. Put both arms on the arm rests. And said, "Don't lie to me. And don't make me ask you again!"_

_ Alice could feel the cheap felt of the chair behind her head. She quickly began to think. A memory came to her rescue. "I was remembering the time when I stole that really big gem from the one store and how this really fat security guard pointed his gun at me, and how I threw the laughing gas at him. I heard that his wife pulled the plug on him because he laughed so much, he went brain dead," she explained. "At least, that's what I heard."_

_ Pearly, white teeth sparkled in front of Alice's worried eyes. "Is that all? Then you should have said so!" The Joker began to laugh. "Wait a second. Did you go out last night?"_

_ Alice nodded. _

_ "In your dented scooter?" asked the Joker, eyes becoming slits. _

_ Alice nodded again, her pulse rising. _

_ "What is rule number five?" growled the Joker._

_ "Ride in style or don't ride at all," recited Alice._

_ "Did you follow that rule?" Asked the Joker. _

_ Alice shook her head. Tears formed behind her eyes, however she forced them back in. _

_ "You can't go outside at all, until you learn that the nicer your getaway car is, the more seriously your victims will take you," explain the Joker through gritted teeth. "Now, get out of my chair!" _

She trained as something to do. Her sleeping pattern had also become irregular. It was 12:00 in the morning when Alice woke up.

There was a note next to her bed.

Dear Alice,

I know you have been really tired lately, so I'm glad you're getting some sleep. If you wake up before we do, just be careful. And your punishment is over. Your father is very proud of you. So am I. He just has an odd way of showing it.

Your vespa is fixed. It's in the garage. Be careful.

Love,

Mom

P.S. There's left over's in the fridge if you get hungry.

Alice crumpled the note into a ball and through it at the wall. She got up and walked out of her room.

On her way to the kitchen, she walked past her parent's room. She heard her father's snoring. She cringed to herself. She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was left over spaghetti, Alice's favorite food.

She took it out of the fridge and put it in the microwave. She pressed the buttons and set the time to one minute. Just before the timer went off Alice opened the door to the microwave, so the bell wouldn't wake her parents. She ate the now warm spaghetti hungrily. After she ate she rinsed the plate and put it in the sink.

Alice still wasn't tired yet, and actually felt better than she had in a while. She decided she needed to get a little exercise to work off the fat from the spaghetti she had eaten. Alice went back up stairs and put on her costume. Then she went to the garage.

She got out her vespa. She had to walk it a couple of yards before she turned on the engine. Went she was a safe distance from the fun house she quickly turned it on and got on. She drove off into the night.

Robin stood upon the tallest building in Gotham, which was Wayne Enterprise. He gazed down at the city he has sworn to protect and everyone in it. 'Would I still be able to protect it if I got involved with her?' he asked himself.

He remembered seeing her body racked with sobs. And he remembered seeing her laugh and smile. She was still a person after all. He guessed he miss judged her, all though he had his reasons. She was still the daughter of the Joker and Harley.

He sighed deeply. When they laughed, it sounded like she hadn't laughed in years. Yes, her father was a comedian but his idea of a good joke was trying to blow up a hospital.

Robin felt as if she opened up to him. Even if it was only a little bit. And if he turned her in now, she could be lost forever. He just had to be careful. Keep his emotions in check.

He pictured her smile in his head. Suddenly he saw a flash of purple, speeding down the street. He climbed down the side of the building.

It was her. His heart skipped a beat. He hoped this wasn't a bad idea.

_Later that night in down town Gotham:_

Alice was once again speeding down some street down town. And she once again saw the building when she first encountered Robin. The building had a new window and no more yellow tape. 'That would be a good place to start' thought Alice as she pulled into the back alley. She parked the vespa and climbed the fire escape. It felt so good to be outside. The cold air felt fresh on her painted skin.

When she was on top of the building she began to stretch, she did a back flip and noticed a figure staring at her from the building across the street. She smiled to herself. 'Once more for old times' sake,' she thought,

Feeling the excitement growing inside of her, she began to do a back flip on to the building next to hers. And then the one next to that.

Robin who was watching her, snapped out of his gaze, and began to jump to the building next to his. They were in somewhat of a race, but he didn't know she was aware of his presence. Robin was doing every move he knew to stay even with Alice. She was very fast and very skilled. After about ten buildings, without stopping Alice turned around in mid air and smiled at Robin.

Robin slipped off the building and into a dumpster. He lifted himself out of the garbage and he felt something wrap around his hand. He looked up. It was Ace Quinn.

She pulled him out of the dumpster. "Do I always have to save you?" They both laughed at that.

Alice climbed the fire escape of the building Robin had fallen off of. As if he was in a trance he followed her.

Alice was standing in the center of the building, gazing at the moon. Full and shining in the dark sky.

"Thanks for saving me," said Robin. "Again."

Not taking her eyes off the moon she replied, "What? No problem."

"Would you like to sit down?" asked Robin motioning to the ledge of the building with his hand.

"Okay," Alice said, steering her eyes from the breath taking sight. She walked over to the ledge and sat down.

Robin waited for her to be seated then sat down to her left.

"You smell nice," complimented Robin. 'I'm such an idiot. Am I implying that she smelled badly before?' he thought. But before he could finish his thoughts he felt something touch his hand. He looked down.

Alice was holding his hand. He smiled. Alice smiled too. You could almost see the blush show through her white face paint. They stayed holding hands for what seemed like minutes but were actually hours. They never said a word, they just stayed holding hands.

Then the sun began to come up over the city of Gotham.

"I've got to go," said Robin getting up. But as she began to turn away he realized he was still holding Alice's hand. He helped her up then he let go. "Bye," he said before he jumped off the building and on to his Bat bike.

Alice saw him go speeding down the street. "Bye," said Alice as she stood there alone. Then after about five minutes she jumped off the building. She got on her dented vespa. She drove home.

'I think I like messy hair' thought Alice.

_Three months later:_

Alice and Robin were sitting on the roof top of the red brick building. This building had become their spot.

She was telling him about Cindy and about her trying to shop lift. He listened to every word. It was in the middle of July, and the hot air blew past them. They were sweating through their costumes.

Ace gazed at the moon while she talked. She never seemed to look at him in the eye. The thought of finding some hint that he no longer wanted to talk to her, scared her to death. All the good things in her life were always taken away or destroyed. Like her vespa. It wasn't destroyed, but… she squeezed her knee in frustration. It was a sign of weakness, talking about feelings. Or even feeling them. It was better to bury your feeling six feet deep and forget about them.

She had once made the mistake of telling her father about one of her most buried deep feelings. Fear.

"_Daddy?" tears stained young Alice's face. Hair tangled and teddy bear clutched to her chest, she quickly made her way to her parents' bedroom. The darkness tried to grab her, but she was quick. Finally, she turned the brass knob of the Joker and Harley's room. "Daddy?" _

"_What?" snapped the Joker. He shot upright in bed and turned on his bed side lamp. _

"_I had a nightmare," she quickly explained, "It was about Batman and he was trying to get me." _

"_Welcome to my world," grumbled the Joker._

"_Come to mommy Ally," said Harley who had also sat up. Arms open for her only daughter. _

"_No," said the Joker. "Go back to bad Alice."_

"_What about Bat-," she started again. _

_The Joker got to his feet. He hurriedly walked to Alice and grabbed her teddy bear. Then he went to his nightstand. He pulled out a revolver. Pointing it between the bear's marble eyes, he pulled the trigger. _

_Stuffing blasted into the air and drifted down like ash. "Teddy," whispered little Alice as more tears flowed down her cheeks. _

"_You need to kill your fears Alice. Or your fears will kill you," he stated, putting the gun in place. "Do you understand?" He stood in front of her. _

_ "Yes Daddy," said Alice. _

_ "Good. Now, go to bed," the Joker turned from her. _

_ Alice walked to her room. The image of her favorite teddy bear's murder played in her head like a gag reel on a loop. 'It's funny,' she thought. 'It's funny.' She didn't know why. It just was. She wanted to laugh out loud. However the fear of her father was greater than the funniness of the joke. A small giggle escaped her lips._

_ Before she knew it she was in her bedroom. Lying under the covers with a weight buried under her bed and a joke hovering over her head. _

The back of Alice's neck burned at the reason why she wanted to laugh. She had been laughing at the fact that her only friend and teddy bear, was shot in front of her. At the moment, being next to someone who wasn't completely out of their mind, Ace felt almost bad.

Another breath of hot air whipped past her. 'I wish I was in a freezer," she thought. 'Freeze?' 

Robin was staring at her because she had stopped talking at was now staring at her gripped knee. He was sure that under her glove, her knuckles were white. "Ace are you okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped out of her trace and let go of her knee. "Yeah?" asked Alice.

"Are you okay?" asked Robin.

"Yeah," said Alice. There was a couple of seconds before Alice asked "Do you like ice cream?"

"Yeah," said Robin "Why?"

"I know a place," said Alice, as she got up.

"Where?" asked Robin, as he got up too. There was a hint of suspicion in his voice. But who could blame him. Look at who he was dating.

"Follow me on your bike," said Alice as she jumped off the building.

She got on her vespa and put on her helmet. She rolled out in front of the building and revved her engine. Robin then rolled in next to her and revved his engine. He had on his helmet too.

Alice gave a little nod and Robin returned the gesture. Alice sped down the street. Robin fallowed her. They raced down town Gotham until they reached Dr. Freeze's lair. This was down near the docks.

Alice pulled into the back. Robin followed her. "I thought Batman locked up Freeze," said Robin as he got off his bike.

"He did," said Alice, as she got off her bike. She grabbed his hand and lightly pulled him along. She went to the back door. The door was metal, was about eight feet tall, and about five feet wide.

She tried to open it. But it was locked. She had to let go of Robins hand to get it open. She kept pulling on the door knob but it wouldn't come open.

Robin saw that she was struggling; he put his hand over hers. Alice let go of the lock and stepped back. He pulled out this laser gizmo from his belt and traced a circle around the knob. Then he kicked open the door. He smiled and gestured with his hand for her to go first.

"Show off," she lightly as she smiled at him.

It was very cold in the lair. Alice was shivering. This did not go unnoticed by Robin. He unclipped his cape and put it over her shoulders. Alice blushed and smiled at him.

"We're here," said Alice. They were at a smaller door; this one didn't have a lock. She simply opened the metal knob. Inside were about twenty, seven foot high, isles of every kind of ice cream known to man.

Robin stared at the bounty of ice cream. His jaw was open in amazement. Alice giggled. She gently shook his shoulder.

"Come on. I'll show you where the bowls and spoons are kept," said Alice as she took his hand. She led him to the other side of the room.

Alice got out two bowls and two spoons from giant, wooden cupboard. As they began to eat, they also began to talk.

"So Robin," Alice Began. "What do you dream about?"

The boy shrugged. "I don't know. What do you dream about?"

"If I tell you what I dream about, will you tell me what you dream about?" Alice asked, her green eyes glowing.

Robin slightly nodded. "Okay."

"Okay," said agreed Ace. Her smile faded and she bit her lip.

"You don't have too," said Robin, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay." She took a deep breath. "I keep having this dream that I'm in a Fun House. And there's this tall, black, brooding figure standing in all the mirrors. He has his hand stretched out. That's all. Never says a word. Then I see him. He's painting over the brooding figure. Then I wake up."

Silently regretting bringing up the dream, the girl looked away.

"That's weird," remarked Robin. He wanted to say more. However he could tell it was hard for her to talk about it, by the way she looked away and how her eyes began to shimmer. He knew what it meant. With his above- average- for- his- age- wisdom, he had figured it out. _ She wants to be good. But 'he' is standing in the way._

He set his bowl aside and took her hand in his. Wanting for her to forget he directed the attention onto himself. "Do you want to hear mine next?"

Nodding, Ace rolled her fingers over his.

"I'm training with a baterang. I'm in my old apartment and I hear footsteps coming up the stairs. I try to get away but my feet won't move. When the door opens, it's Batman. But he rips off his mask. And it's the Joker. And he laughs and laughs. That's when I wake up," he finishes his story with a loud sigh.

Moments of silence were filled with tension filled thoughts.

"Wow," said Ace.

"Yeah," said Robin.

Suddenly, the two costume teenagers started laughing.

"Why are we laughing?" asked the boy between chuckles.

Ace froze. She tilted her head to the side. "I don't know."

They both shrugged. However, a cloud of discomfort hung over the boy's head.

_Later: _

Walking out of the lair, with their bellies full and their brains frozen, Robin held Ace's hand. There were pink rays of light that were shining over the buildings of Gotham.

Alice gave him back his cape and smiled. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll see ya'," said Robin, as he put his cape back on.

He watched Ace ride down the street and out of view. His heart began to pound as he got on his motorcycle and drove home.


	5. Pusillanimous

**The Joker's Little Girl Part 2 Chapter 5**

The Joker growled in frustration. His fist slowly crushed the blue print, which had his latest failed plan on it, and threw it at the purple wall. A mountain of crumpled paper had accumulated in a near corner. He ran his fingers threw his green hair and leaned back into the worn leather chair. For the past month, the Joker had been, even more so, obsessed with finally ending Batman. For the Caped Crusader had foiled the Jokers almost perfect plan.

"_Nobody move," shouted the Joker as he pointed a purple pistol to the red headed woman's head. "Or the girl gets it."_

_Gotham's National Bank was silent. Scared and emotionless faces hid under tables. Red and blue lights were accompanied by sirens. A booming voice cut through all of the chaos. "We have the building surrounded. Release the hostages."_

"_How about no!" The Joker shouted back. A cackle exploded from his throat. _

"_Joker," snapped a deep, dark voice. Batman stalked out of the shadows. "What's this about?"_

"_Oh hello Captain Sunshine, what makes you think this is about anything more than a man trying to provide for his family?" asked the Joker with a grin. _

"_You never put on this big of a show unless you want my attention," said Batman. He took a step closer to his arch enemy. _

"_Would you mind taking a step closer Batsy?" Asked the Joker before he started laughing again. _

_Harley jumped out from behind one of the desks. She threw a baterang, which she had painted green, at Batman. He easily dodged it. _

"_Why are you dodgin' it? I wasn't aiming at you," said Harley before doing a back flip. _

_A giant purple net fell from the ceiling. It landed on the Caped Crusader. Weights held it firmly to the ground. Imminently the dark figure tried to cut the rope. However his laser had no effect._

_The Joker threw the red headed woman into the floor. She cowered under the nearest desk. "Don't even try Batman, those ropes are indestructible. A little exchange with the Mad Hatter. He makes me indestructible lines and I don't kill him!" More laughter. _

_Stepping closer to the caged Bat, the mad man pulled out a large pistol. The Joker kneeled down to Batman's low level. "Any last words Batman before I have the last laugh?"_

"_Behind you," said Batman. _

_A baterang knocked the gun out of his hand. One punch from Batgirl and he was on the floor. It was over._

Afterspending a day in police custody before breaking out again, the Joker knew one thing. The next time he was going to "provide for his family" he really need to put on a spectacular show.

Harley looked up from the book she was reading. It was titled "Teenagers: What the Hell?"

The blond maniac had purchased the book when she realized something was amiss. Glancing over at her long time partner, she swallowed hard. She knew better than to interrupt him while he was working. However, her maternal instincts took over.

"Puddin'?" asked Harley timidly.

The Joker's head spun around. "What?" shouted the angry clown.

"Where do you think Alice is going?" asked Harley.

"What do you mean?" asked The Joker standing up.

"I mean no crimes, well; no crimes by her style have been on the news. So she obviously isn't doing anything illegal..." explained Harley.

"I don't know maybe she has a boyfriend or something," said the Joker brushing it off. Then realization hits them both like a punching glove on a spring.

They stare at each other wide eyes.

"This is that Cindy girls fault," said The Joker, "I never liked that girl. I don't know why you let Alice hang out with her anyway."

"Listen we-"began Harley suddenly stopping, "my fault! How is it my fault? And besides we don't know she has a boyfriend for sure."

"She needs to focus on her job. She doesn't need some wacky blond kid distracting her," said the Joker.

"Yeah she doesn't need-. Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harley. "I don't distract you."

"Sure you don't," replied the Joker rolling his eyes. "Fine! I will talk to her. I was always good at these fatherly talk things."

"The only one you've given was the one when she was two, and that one was for how to use the bathroom!" said Harley.

"Whatever," said the Joker as he sat back down and began to scribble on a blue print. Harley rolled her eyes and read her book.

_The next day:_

Harley and Alice were sitting on the red couch which was in the living room. Harley was reading another book and Alice was doing one of her lessons. The Joker walked in and stood in front of them. Upon the sound of the Joker clearing his throat, Alice and Harley looked up.

The Joker looked from Harley to Alice, and began pacing back and forth in front of them. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

"Mom is this important?" whispered Alice to her Mother.

"Let me ask," said Harley, "Puddin', is this important?"

"Of course this is important!" snapped the Joker. He continued to pace back and forth.

Alice was looking at the situation with amused eyes. However, she couldn't help but wonder what this was about.

The Joker stopped his pacing; he stood in front of Alice. "When a man loves a woman he kidnaps her and makes her his own," said the Joker suddenly.

Alice stared at him wide eyed and jaw hung open, "What? What does that have to do with anything?"

The Joker began to panic. He didn't know what to do. "Don't have sex!" The Joker ran into the kitchen.

"What?" screamed Alice. She then turned to her mother looking for an explanation.

Harley looked at Alice and told her whatever she was doing, that she needed to be smart and make the right choices.

"Of course mom," said Alice. Relived that this talk made sense. They heard the Joker pull something out of the fridge and walk to Harley and his bedroom.

Harley and Alice shrug and go back to what they were doing.

_Late that night:_

Sitting on the center of the red brick building, the corners of Ace's lips were slightly pointed downward. "When do you start?"

Robin blinked into reality. He realized that he had been staring at her again. He couldn't help but wonder what she looked like under her mask. "What?"

"I asked when do you start school? Again," asked Ace with on hand firmly on the concrete and the other on her hip. She looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, September third," replied Robin slightly blushing. "Don't you go to school?"

"No, my mom home schools me," said Ace. She ran her gloved finger threw the front of her hair. The strands fell back into place.

"What's that like?" asked Robin leaning slightly closer to the young villain.

"It's okay," said Ace shrugging. "Robin?"

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What's school like? I mean, real school," Ace slid closer to him and pulled her knees to her chest.

Robin crisscrossed his legs and made a fist under his chin. He looked up at the curious girl. "Boring."

The teenagers burst into a fit of laughter.

_Meanwhile:_

A lone figure loomed on top of tall building. Cape billowing behind him, the Dark Knight watched his side kick and arch nemeses' daughter laugh as if they were best friends. He watched with not anger or betrayal, but with curiosity. How could he be angry if he does the same thing?

'He will be hurt in the end', Batman surmised. If he told Robin that he could not see Alison anymore, it would cause him to rebel. Anyway, this was puppy love. It would end, even before it even began. Batman was surprised they even lasted this long.

The Dark Knight turned on the hearing piece, which was connected to Robin's communicator and could also be used a listening device, and listened to the rest of their conversation.

Ace and Robin's laughter slowly dies. They sit in silence for a few solitary moments.

"What grade are you going into?" asked Ace as she turned to look at him.

"Ninth," Robin replied. He suddenly groaned. "We have to learn algebra this year. It sucks!"

"Yeah it does," Ace laughed nervously.

"What?" asked Robin. He mentally prepared himself for whatever part of Alice's messed up childhood he was about to hear.

"It's just, I always wondered what it was like to go to school, and do homework, and cram for tests," replied Ace with a distance in her voice. "But like you said, it sounds boring."

Robin lied down on the building with his hands folded under his head. Hands folded across her chest, Ace lied down a few inches next to him. She frowned deeply on the inside. When she was with Robin, she forgot all of her fears and worries. But she knew this wasn't going to end tonight.

Taking a deep breath, the boy began, "A typical school day for me is like this..."

Turning off his ear piece, Batman gazed down at the gray cracked buildings, loathly criminals, and innocent citizens, and then gazed back at his sidekick.

'At least when Alison is with him, she is not committing a crime,' thought Batman. He noticed that the young girl only stole from jewelry stores in the middle of the night; and she never touched the cash register. It was almost as if she avoided confronting people all together. She also works very quickly. 'She's paranoid,' he concluded. 'What is she paranoid about?' He thought it was time for him to have a small talk with Alison.

_A few nights later:_

The bag filled with hundreds of thousands worth of diamonds, felt heavier than usual. Ace slumped across the building. The chilling conversation she just had rubbed uncomfortable against her neck, strangling her to make a decision.

_With the alarm disabled, guards knocked unconscious, and with the Bat nowhere in sight, Ace figured going in and getting the diamonds would be the hard part. In reality, the difficult part of the heist that night, would be getting off the roof. _

_Ace climbed the rope with ease. Hoisting herself out of the open window and onto the roof, Ace pulled up the rope and placed it in her tool bag. Standing up, she walked straight into someone's muscular chest. _

_Looking up, Ace gasped, "Batman." Instinctively taking a step back, she fell through the open window. A shrill scream escaped her lips, as Ace felt someone grab her wrist. Looking up, the Dark Knight was staring at her, his lips in a tight line. _

_Batman pulled her up and set her on her feet, however he did not let go. He held onto her arm and grabbed the bag of jewels. He moved them ten feet from the open window. _

"_Wh- what do you want?" stuttered Ace. She was never afraid of Robin because she knew she could beat him. She was terrified of Batman because she knew he could beat her. He did it to her Father every time he left the Fun House._

"_You don't have to do this," said Batman staring deep into her eyes. _

_Ace could feel her soul begin to burn and she almost felt bad for what she had done and been doing. "Do what?"_

"_This," he said holding up the bag, which was filled with diamonds; and dropped it at her feet. "You don't have to be a villain."_

"_I'm not going to be a hero," she replied flatly._

"_I never said that," he said as he let go of her. _

"_Then what are you saying?" Ace asked. _

"_You don't have to be a villain just because of your parents," said Batman. _

_Ace was silent. She looked away. Then glared back at him. "What would I do without my parents? They keep a roof over my head and they take care of me. My mother teaches me things from work books. This," said Ace holding up the bag, "is all I know." _

"_Alison," said Batman stepping closer. "You have been brain washed. Go to the police and turn yourself in. There are people who can help you."_

_The young girl's face relaxed for a split second, as if all of her problems had just been solved. Then her features collapsed into a twitch. "No, they're going to throw me in Arkham! And put wires in my head!" _

"_Alison no. No," said Batman in a gentle voice. The girl who was so talented and mature, was only a scared little girl. He almost pitied her. "They talk to you. That's it. They just talk."_

"_I know that," whispered Ace. "But look how well it worked on my father."_

_Batman didn't have an answer for that. She was right. "Is that why you're so paranoid? Why you always stick to the shadows and make sure all of the guards are knocked out before you even breathe?" _

_Ace kicked him in the stomach, and grabs the bag. She runs to the edge of the building and leaps onto the next one. If she had glanced behind her, she would have seen the Dark Knight slightly shaking his head. 'I should have taken her away from them the night she was born.'_

Sitting down on the twentieth building away from _him_, Ace set the bag of diamonds of her lap. She held onto it for dear life. They pickled her stomach and chest. She welcomed the feeling.

Standing abruptly, she climbed down the fire escape. She went behind a dumpster and rolled out her vespa. The engine roared as it sped down downtown, towards the Fun House. 


	6. Maniacal

The worlds twirled around her as light shun on her exposed shoulders, and then disappeared again. Or maybe she was the one who was spinning. Or more specifically, the Merry Go Round was making Alice spin.

Resting her head against the chipped, gold painted twisted bar, the young thief closed her eyes. Letting herself be doused in the rare, calmness and solitude. The weasel from the song that played as the wooden horses raced in a circle, ran laps in around head. However, after spending years drifting in a circular motion and going nowhere, Alice blocks out the rodent by replacing it.

Running her finger tips over the horses carved features felt smooth under her touch. Remembering how she came about to own this peaceful ride. Her hand tightly gripped the twisted bar as a sick feeling washed over her like a bad stomach ache.

_A little girl with her dark brown hair pulled into two pony tails, a new jumper, with shiny black dress shoes, had her lips in a tight line. If her mind wandered once, a white gloved hand would roughly wipe itself across her face, ruining her sixth birthday. Knowing it would be all her fault, Alice balled her hands into fists and did her best to pay attention. _

"_You put the key in here," demonstrated the Joker. He voice low in pitch and a grimace clobbered his features. 'The little Brat is going to play with this for five minutes then never look at it again. That doesn't mean I can't have fun in the mean time,' thought the Joker as a smile sprouted his face. _

_In the corner of his eye, he saw fear flash across his daughter's face. This was going to be good. _

"_Now you just turn the key," said the Joker. The carousal began to turn with life. Alice watched with discomfort as the horses rode by. Each wood carving, once carefully painted stallions, now had red smiles painted across their lips. _

"_Well go give it a go!" The Joker shouted, before roughly pushing the young girl forward. _

_Stumbling forward, Alice firmly planted one foot forward, steadying herself. 'Stay on your feet, Alison.' Remembering her Father's harsh words of advisement, the young girl walked quickly to the merry go round. _

_Once Alice was standing close enough to the ride to smell the newly applied paint and old wood, the girl had an idea of what to do. However she didn't think her Father was that… mean. Turning around, the young girl expected to see the Joker walking over to help her. _

_The Clown Price was standing in the exact same place that Alice had scurried away from. Only this time his arms were folded. "Well?" he shouted._

_Alice faced the horses, their painted smiles taunting her, daring her to try and jump on. Wheels of imagination began to turn in the young girl's head. Backing up a few feet, Alice leaped with both arms spread out in front of her, and with both eyes closed tightly. _

_Landing on the hard floor of the ride, Alice hissed in pain and grabbed her knee. Opening her eyes she saw one of the horse's legs lying next to her arm. Realizing that she had hit the horse's limb in her jump, she inspected her now red knee she saw splinters and small pieces of broken wood scattered on it. Her Father's cackle ripped through the pain. _

"_Now try to get on one of the horses!" He shouted, laughing it all up. _

"_Puddin'!" exclaimed Harley, who was running up to her boyfriend with a cell phone grasped in her hand. "It's one of the mob bosses!"_

_The Joker whipped his head around. "Which one?" _

"_Mayonnaise or somethin' like that," replied Harley as the Joker ripped the phone out of her hand. _

"_Oh! Maroni! Of course I remembered our meeting. Right now? I'm on my way," said the Joker. The cell phone snapped shut. Turning to Harley, who was gazing at the carousel, and back handed her. "How many times have I told you not to answer my phone! When it rings, just bring it to me! You incompetent bimbo!"_

_Leaning down low o Harley's level, he grabbed a lock of her blond hair. "If this meeting doesn't go well, I'll hand cuff you to the car bumper and drive you to Arkham myself!" He let go of her hair and stomped away. _

_Harley silently stood up and brushed herself off. Twisting her body towards the merry go round, she gasped in horror. Standing and staring at her was Alison, her knee was crimson with bits and pieces of something stuck in it. _

_Running faster than she did with the phone, the scared mother turned off the ride and jumped on to it. Scooping the young girl into her arms, she began to whisper words of comfort. _

"_Mommy?" asked Alice as her mother carried her into the Fun House._

"_Yes Ally?" Harley asked. _

_Alison could see the red hand shape of her Father's hand imprinted on her mother's cheek. _

"_Why is Daddy the way he is?" the young girl asked with curiosity and slight fear. _

_Harley was silent for a moment. A slight smile graced her lips as if she was about to tell a story her mother used to tell her. Then as if a melancholy cloud passed over their heads as the smile disappeared. "You're Father's Father used to beat him pretty badly. Every time he got out of line. Bam!" _

_ A horrified look struck the young girl's face. "Why?" _

_ "Sometimes some people are just… mean. There was only one time Mista' J saw his Dad happy. When the Joker was seven, they were at the circus and all of the clowns were running around, dropping their pants. So, the next day, Mista' J meets his Dad at the front door in his best Sunday pants around his ankles. He says, 'Dad look at me!' He trips and tares the crotch right out of his pants."_

_ Laughter erupted from their throats. Suddenly, Harley stopped. "Then he broke your Daddy's nose."_

_ Staring wide eyes in shock, Alice's laughter halted at her lips. "Oh." A guilty feeling washed over her. 'It's not his fault why he is mean. His Daddy did that to him. Is he trying to do that to me too?' However the mixture of the steady motion of Harley's walking and of the sleepiness that had rained over her, Alice had fallen asleep in her mother's arms. _

_ Harley set Alison on the couch. She pulled out the splinters and smeared disinfectant over the wound. Putting a blanket over the sleeping peaceful form, the blond mother went into the kitchen to make lunch._

_ For one week, young Alice tried to be on her best behavior. Never bothered the Joker alone to plot and plan. Never spoke out of turn. Until one incident which happen between her and her Father which left a bad taste in her mouth and a warm feeling in the back of her head. _

Realizing that the carousal had stopped, Alice felt her heart pound in her chest. Seeing no one, Alice's stomach began to ache. Had her limited peace ended? Or had it been ripped away from her like everything else in her short life had?

Suddenly, what felt like ten, boney sticks, shoved themselves into her back. Alice jumped in surprise and swung her body and fist around to see who had disturbed her.

A strong force grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. Causing her to fall off her horse and slam onto the old hard wood floor. It creaked under her upon impact. Tasting blood, the young thief gazed upward. Her heart skipped a beat as she heard crazy laughter.

"You really need to remember to get back on the horse Acey," the Joker remarked. Four tall, burley men stood around him. There throaty laughter thundered in her ears. Locking her teeth together, Alice cringed. Guessing she accidentally bit down on the inside of her cheek and cut it, Alice stood. The pain now wouldn't be comparable, if she kept her Father waiting. Blood filled her mouth, she swallowed it.

"You know Alice, you need to learn to smile more," said the Joker grinning.

"I'll remember that," said Alice giving him the biggest please- don't- kill- me smile. "What's up?"

"I've noticed something about you," he began. "When you steal, you pull in lots of valuable things. However, it's mostly diamonds. Is it because they're shinny? You get that from your Mother you know. Anyway, stealing is an art form. Why paint something if you can't show it off and makes tons of money off of it?"

Choking down more blood, Alice's shoulders slightly rose and fell.

The Joker's eyelids squeezed around his pupils as he bared his teeth. After deeply inhaling his face relaxed and his grin returned. "To make a mark on history, for people to remember your name forever, and more importantly, to keep the fear in the poor sucker's eyes when they hear the crazy laughter rob them of their money and sanity."

The small sound of applause interrupted the two. "That was beautiful Boss," said one the men who had a black fedora with a club tucked into the band surrounding the ribbon of the hat. Alice noticed each of the four men had a playing card tucked into their hats. A heart, a diamond, a spade, a club, marked the men as partners.

"Shut up!" Shouted the Joker. "No one likes a brownnoser." He turned to Alice. He saw her throat tighten as she swallowed more blood. "You have to make a show out of it! Today we are going to go to my office and plan a big heist, so big that even Batman won't be able to fathom it! Come on!"

The Joker hopped off the merry go round. The men stayed put. One of the men, the one with the heart tucked into his hat, made a gesture with his hand for her to go first. Much like Robin had only months ago.

Alice weakly strode past them, their heavy footsteps followed her, as her thoughts returned to the one person she knew who understand. Small droplets of rain began to crash into her hair and onto her bare arms. She wondered what he was doing right now and if he was having a better time than she was.

_Washington Academy- Gotham City:_

Glancing at the clock on the wall, the corners of Tim Drake's lips slightly fell. Silent reading was going to be over in seven minutes, and he was finished with his book. The pages of the book felt rough under his fingertips. Gazing outside, rain spattered against the window then dripped down as if trying to race each other to the bottom of the window pane.

Looking up, he stared at the back of each of his classmate's heads. An undying devotion and sense of a safer life for these people was what pushed him to run that extra lap during training or those extra ten pushups. However, instead of empty faces, there was one face which stood out in his mind. She made him think; she challenged him. Running his fingers over his gelled hair, his heart began to sink.

School had started again a month ago and Bruce hadn't let him go patrolling with him since then. _ Does he know? _ Tim shook his head. _No. He can't. _Tim silently thanked that he sat in the very back. Or else someone might think he was having a migraine or something. Warmness spread over his arms. He could feel someone watching him.

His eyes rose, and his head soon followed. A girl with blonde curls and golden contacts gazed back at him. He guessed she was wearing contacts because yesterday her eyes were green. She gave a small wave. Tim returned the gesture with a slight nod, and then averted his gaze back down at his book.

He reread the last paragraph of the story. _The lone hero closed his eyes and tried to remember a happier time in his life. A memory to lead him into the heavens where his peace of mind lay, waiting for him. However, pain was his only thought. His whole life was filled with agonizing, stomach twisting pain. Then he remembered all of the people he saved. Their cries for help were hushed with his humble sword vanquishing the darkness. Suddenly, his soul was lifted into the sky and the gates of heaven open for him. His pain was left with his body. Lifeless, cold, dead. _

His heart pounded in his chest. Today was Friday. Maybe Bruce would let him patrol tonight. And then he could see _her._ Jaw clenched in uneasiness, Tim began to wonder. _Will we end up playing cat and mouse? No. Everyone makes mistakes. And she hasn't made any major ones anyway, so there is still time to help her. It was great having to talk to someone who understood. Someone who knew the mask just isn't a mask. That there are people under it. Now if they choose to be under it is another story…_

"Class fill in your logs and let's make a transition into grammar. Take out your spelling books," announced Mrs. Perry, who wore a green skirt with variations buttons sewed along the hem.

Tim did as such and then turned to the clock. Silent reading had gone on an extra minute and thirty seconds.

_The Fun House, Ten Thirty Seven:_

Chewing on the end of her pencil, Alice's mind raced to think of some sort of quick, clever, conniving scheme, as to not anger her Father even more. Her lower back began to ache from sitting for so long. Her Mother had brought in her costume, hoping it would bring some inspiration the young thief. Quickly jotting the first new idea that came to her, Alice slightly leaned back into her chair, as to show the Joker that she had come up with something new.

Looking over his daughter's shoulder, the Joker gritted his teeth in anger. "It has to more clever than that! People don't hand over their cash to a guy wearing a chicken suit throwing egg bombs at people!"

Alice's heart fluttered in her chest with annoyance. A vein in her head began to pulse. The pencil in her hand snapped in two. Turning to her Father, Alice hissed, "There is a reason why you get thrown into Arkham, you know."

Before Alice had time to regret what she had said, the Joker's fist, like the judgmental, all powerful hand of God, smashed into her cheek. Falling out of her chair, Alice, yet again, tasted blood. Moving her tough over to the spot where the blood was coming from, the young thief expected to feel a wiggly tooth. She found nothing. Instead of swallowing the blood she spit it out, along with her tooth, onto the green carpet.

Harley's voice rang in her head. "Mista J' she's a teenager! They say stupid things!" Alice stared at her mother, who was the only thing between her and the Joker. The chair she had been sitting on now lay in pieces against the wall. The Joker punched Alice's mother in the face, however she did not go down. "Don't hurt her!" Punch after punch, vicious blow after blow was impaled on Harley's body and face. Until she was a hunched over, bleeding, bruised pulp.

Alice was frozen. Every fiber in her body wanted to help Harley, but her brain wouldn't allow it. She had learned over the years to just grit her teeth and bear it. Alice had seen her Father hit her Mother before. But he had never beaten her this badly before.

"Don't hurt our daughter," whispered Harley before passing out at the Joker's feet.

"That won't work this time blonde," said the Joker before stepping over her bloodied girlfriend.

Alice began to desperately scoot away from her Father. Grabbing her by the hem of her purple shirt, the Joker pulled her up to his level, so that she was staring into pure madness. "Now you listen to me you little nipper, you have until one o'clock to come up with an original, clever and most importantly funny heist. Or else I'll have to fix a mistake that happen over fourteen years ago." Letting her drop to the floor, he turned away. Grabbing one of Harley's blond pigtails, he dragged her out of his office, and locked the door behind him.

Nerves ice cold with fear, head swimming from shock, and heart beating, Alice shakily stood on her feet. Staring at the door, the young thief collapsed to her knees. Every emotion she has ever had to bury in her subconscious became tears of anger, hurt, and sorrow which poured down her face. She held herself like her mother used to when she was little. _Oh God, Mom._ _Why did she do that? She knew what would happen. Only this time it was a million times worse._ New batches of tears were released from her eyes. In those tears were every painful memory she had ever endured, they flashed in her mind and made her heart ache with every slow beat.

Seeming like an eternity until her sobs softened into hiccups, Alice looked at the clock. It was eleven twenty four. Nearly jumping out of her skin, the young thief began to panic as she tried to think of ideas for her heist. Dark, emptiness filled her mind. Eyes darting around the room for any inspiration, she felt a breeze on the backs of her arms. Turning toward the direction of cold air, she saw the only window in the office was partly open.

_I could run away. _Her feet began to walk her to the window. But a thought stopped her cold. _But who will protect her from him? _ She crouched down in defeat. _You did a real fine job at protecting her_ _awhile ago, _said a voice in a criticizing tone. Alice began to pull her hair to make the voice stop, and then realized it sounded like her Father. _Will I always be tied down to the Joker? _ She had never called her Father by his real name. However, she was convinced of one thing. There was no way, for a man or monster, to be a half way decent Father and love only themselves.

A new feeling washed over her as she thought. _I could kill- No. That would make me, him. And what if I fail, then… _Alice shook her head. No time for thinking, if she wanted to live through the night, there was one thing she had to do. She pulled on her costume and grabbed every tool from old gags from previous heists. Chattering teeth, laugher gas bombes, guns that shot 'bang' and guns that shot real bullets. She stuffed them into a purple duffle bag.

Opening the window, Alice silently thanked that the Joker's office was on the bottom floor, and hurried into the night.

_Meanwhile at Wayne Manor:_

Walking past his expensively furnished living room, Bruce heard the click of someone turning off the giant TV. Slightly shaking his head, he silently stalked into the pitch black room. The only light that could be seen was the full moon shining through an unclothed window.

Stopping in the middle of the carpet, the billionaire stood. Listening. Hearing a foot lightly rustle across the floor next to him, Bruce whipped to his left and grabbed the person. "Lights."

As the bulbs flashed to life, he recognized the person he was holding and imminently let go.

"I couldn't sleep," Tim said quickly. He was still in his uniform however his hair was messy, like it was when he was Robin.

Knowing what had been keeping the boy up, Bruce sighed. It also was the cause of many sleepless nights for him. Studying the boy's dark circles under his eyes and hollow expression. He decided it was time for Tim to go patrolling. Bruce knew why he was keeping him from being Robin. He was trying to protect his ward. But from what? Puppy love? "Be dressed in five minutes and meet me in the Bat Cave."

Darting to the stairs, Tim turned back around, "Thanks." His footsteps pounded on the stairs.

Bruce turned to go to the Bat Cave, with a haunting feeling hanging over his head.

_Downtown Gotham:_

Standing on the roof of a small bank located at the center of Gotham, sweat dripped down Ace's temple. She didn't bother wiping it away. Her mind was busy doing other things. Like trying to figure out the best way to steal fifty thousand dollars and make a show out of it.

She lowered the duffel bag onto the cement floor. Unzipping it, she pulled out an oversized pistol. It was the Joker's favorite. He said it was the first weapon he used when he first became the Joker. His evil laughter echoed in her mind as she remember the first time she realized that, in her family's case, there were multiple sides to stories. Some of which did not dovetail at all.

_The red wax strode across the white page to form an upside down rainbow. Taking a black crayon in her small hand, Alice drew lines in the smile to make teeth. Using the same color she circled the smile. With her green crayon she colored green swirls onto of the circle and two dots for the eyes. Her arm stopped cold as he Father's voice boomed from his office. _

"_I told you to have the explosive whoopi cushions ready by tonight! No I can't have them next week! I need them now!" Silence. "You had better or else I'll stuff one down your throat," the Joker snarled as he slammed the phone into its receiver. _

_Gathering her crayons into her arms, Alice's young heart beat wildly in her ribcage. It had been a week since her mother told her the truth about her him. She knew she would get an awful spanking if she got in her Father's way when he was angry. The living room, where she sat coloring, was the Joker's favorite place to pace. Grabbing the white copy paper in her tiny fist, her crayon box fell from the crook of her elbow. _

_Shades of red, blue, and yellow crashed to the floor. With each break of wax, a new level of fear sunk into her stomach. Preparing to drop the pages and just run for it, Alice heard the pounding steps of her father's thundering feet. The echo froze her in her spot. _

"_What was that?" the Joker shouted as he stood by the couch. Like a deer and headlights, the young girl just stared. "Well?" he snarled as his angry eyes scanned the mess. _

_Straightening her back, Alice whispered, "I spilled my crayons." _

"_Well pick them up! Now! Wait a second," commanded the Joker as he walked toward his daughter. She flinched as his gloved hand inched at her. He grabbed the picture she was drawing. Lifting one eyebrow, he began to examine the page. _

_Pushing the broken wax sticks into their slots, Alice dropped the box again when she heard her Father's voice. "Did I ever tell you how I got to be at my current glorious state?"_

_Alice quickly shook her head and set the cardboard box down. Curiosity filled her as she sat down next to her Father. She wanted to hear his side of the story. _

"_You know how the evil, no humor, Batman shoved me into a vat of boiling hot chemicals," began the Joker. Alice nodded her head. It seemed like it was the only bedtime story the Joker ever told. And it always ended with him storming out of the room, with a red hand print across her cheek and her crying herself to sleep. "Well, even before then, my old man used to beat me pretty badly. Whenever I got out of line, pow! Or I would be just sitting there, slam!" Alice's memory flicked as she remembered this part from her Mother's story. Now time for the part about the circus. "The only time I saw him happy was at the ice rink."_

'_What?' thought young Alice. "But Mommy said it was the circus." She clasped her hands over her mouth, trying to stop the words from escaping. But it was too late. _

_Alice's long hair, which rests at her shoulders, was pulled. "Number one, never lie to me again," his voice held no anger, only frustration. "Second, never question me over your bimbo of a mother! You got that!" He took out a pocket knife and sliced her hair, centimeters away from her small ears. _

_Screaming in horror, the young girl watched the smooth strands fall from his hand and onto the floor. From that moment on, not only did she keep her hair very short, she also thought twice about everything her Father or Mother told her. Because she knew one of them was lying. _

Realization washed over her. Or maybe it was the rain, which had begun to poor down on her for the second time today. _That was about the time I began to always look… behind… me. _Anger boiled in her soul as she shot wholes through the glass window. The shards descended downward and shattered on the ground bellow. Men dressed in blue colure shirts came running toward the scene.

Looking up, the security guards, a burly man with a bald spot, and a skinny blond guy, pointed their guns at her. She lifted two laughing gas bombs and threw them through the broken window. Purple smoke fogged around the two men, as there laughter rose to Ace's ears. She began to laugh with them.

Placing a gas mask on her face, Alice secured the rope to the steel frame. Climbing down with the duffle bag around her shoulders, the two men were rolling around on the floor, sick with laughter. Walking around them, her feet tapped along the white lineal.

As the fog began to clear, Ace got to work on the vault. Opening her duffle bag, she felt around for her next tool. The dynamite felt like a kindling of cigars in her gloved hands. Placing them at the door of the vault, using gun powder, she made a trail from the vault to her location at the other end of the bank. Getting on her knees, Ace got out a match and struck it against the bottom of her shoe. Giggling, she lit the fuse.

Suddenly, the men's laughter became giggles as they got to their feet. Ace remembered why the bombs were in the Joker's office because they hadn't been working right, the chemical formal wasn't right, so the effects wore off to quickly. Reaching for their guns, one of them shouted, "There's a bomb!" Both men scurried out the glass double doors like mice.

Throwing off her gas mask, Ace's laughter surrounded her. However, it did not echo. Panic rose in her chest as she begun to do the math. After doing her calculations, she came up with a simple conclusion. There was going to be a big explosion in a tiny space.

Preparing to run through the same doors that the security men did, Ace realized another thing. Her pant leg had caught on a corner of the desk. She tried to just run for it, and then fell on her face. Ace got close to the desk to see what was wrong. The fabric was caught on a piece of wood that was sticking out of the desk. She reached her hand to undo it.

A loud hissing stopped her like the Joker's voice did. The red spark was about two feet from the dynamite. Time was almost running out. Ace froze. The last thing she will hear is her Father's maniacal laughter.

The cut of fabric brought her back to reality. Strong arms circled her as she was lifted into the air. Gazing at the person who saved her, a single tear rolled down form under her mask. "Robin," she whispered as she circled her arms around his neck.

He hoisted them onto the roof and grabbed her hand. Pulling to the edge of the roof, he let go of her hand and they jumped onto the roof. Over and over again, they did flips, leaps and cartwheels across the rooftops of Gotham.

The building exploded behind them. Ace stopped to stare at it like fireworks. Her throat went dry knowing she was going home empty handed. And the security tapes had been destroyed because if the fire. Her eyes became watery at the thought of ending up like her Mother. She felt someone tap her shoulder as she wiped away her tears.

Turing around, a smile blossomed on Ace's face. She wrapped her arms around Robin and kissed him on the lips. Just as he was beginning to kiss her back, they were roughly pulled apart. Snapping open her eyes, and saw a black shadow.

Batman glared down at her. At least she thinks he was glaring at her. "This ends tonight," he growled.

Ace's heart began to race. Robin's voice broke the tension. "Batman, everyone makes mistakes."

Tarring his eyes away from the young thief's, he turned to Robin. "And how many more mistakes do you think it will take before she learns the error of her ways?" Alice watched the Boy Wonder bow his head in shame. "I gave her a choice. Now I'm going to give you a choice. You treat her the way her actions show the way she wants to be treated. Or you give up being Robin."

"He would have killed me!" Ace's voice came out in a cry. "He beat my mother to an inch of her life. And he was going to the same to me. Please! I want to be good. Just let me go home and take care of my mother!"

"Harley made her choice. And now it's time for you to make yours. All they do is talk Alison. All they do is talk," his angry voice decrescendos into a gentle tone.

"My Mother…," Ace whispered. She stared at Robin for him to say something. Anything in her defense.

"Alice… I'm sorry," he turned from her and walked to the edge of the building. Batman glanced at her one more time, before following his side kick.

Wanting her feet to move, but it felt like they were cemented to the floor. Her eyes were moist, but no tears fell. The snap of the cord being released from the grappling device rang in her mind. The Dynamic Duo swooped silently into the night.

The corners of Ace's lip twitched upward, then the other side. She was grinning at the darkness, at the madness. It had beckoned her to become part of it. Her Mother, unintentionally, her Father forcibly. Robin was the only thing that kept her from it. Now that he is gone, there is nothing.

But he had shown her a life without the cold, erratic, hurtful craziness. Maybe, until she had figured out a plan to redeem herself, she could temporarily submit to the madness. It was the only way to survive at this point. She had felt herself slowly slip into it.

The darkness welcomed her, engulfed her, and possessed her. The only thing keeping her from going completely mad was the hope that she and Robin could once again be together.

Her laughter howled at the moon. She smiled and leapt off the roof. The madness had begun.


	7. Rue

_Sometime later:_

Like blood, Alice's white face paint dripped down her forehead, cheeks and then flowed off her chin and neck. Her knuckles were white under her gloves as she held onto the handles of her vespa. Hair drenched and laughing to the sky, she stuck her tough to taste the rain. It was cold and unforgiving. It was poison. It was Gotham. Laughter erupted from her throat as she sped toward the Fun House.

Her face was completely clear when she drove straight through the double doors of her home. Jumping off her vespa, Ace did a flip in the air and landed on her feet. The two wheeler slid onto its side and spun in a circle.

"What in God's name is that racket?" shouted the Joker as he stormed into the main area of the place. Glaring at his daughter bent over at her waist cracking up and her scooter loudly humming and on its side not far from her, made his blood boil. He had decided not to kill her after her smart aleck remark and for climbing out of the window. However that did not mean she was going to be severely punished. "Ace, what have you been doing?"

Falling to her knees, Alice continued to laugh. Tears poured from her eyes as she tried to speak. "I… I..."

Stomping up his daughter, the Joker grabbed her by the colure of her wet shirt and lifted her off the ground. "What have you been doing?" he repeated through clenched teeth.

Grasping desperately for breath to answer, Alice exclaimed, "I blew up a bank!" She huffed out before more laughter consumed her.

The Joker's face scrunched into confusion and frustration. "What bank? When?"

"Just now. I put some dynamite by the vault and lit the fuse. And then, foop!" Alice's body quivered with the madness which flowed through her.

Easing his grip on her shirt, she slipped to the ground. Rolling to her side, more tears glissaded from her eyes. The Clown Price just stared. He remembered seeing this before. Many times in Arkham and even more times in the mirror. Then, he grinned. Picking his daughter up again, he asked her, "Ace what do you feel now? Tell me!"

"I feel… I feel… like I've just seen the funny side!" Plummeting to the floor once again, the Joker's laughter joined her in a duet. After a few moments his laughter dies into giggles. Alice is still rolling around on the floor like someone is constantly tickling her.

Pursing his lips together in frustration, the Joker waited for Ace to calm down. She did not. Pressing a hand onto her shoulder, his hands roughly smacked itself against her red cheek.

Biting her lip to try to keep the madness from spilling all over the place, Ace smiled.

"Now," said the Joker yanking his daughter to her feet. "Tell me more about you blowing up a bank."

_One week later:_

Jumping and twirling as fast as she could, the young thief glided on the rooftops of Gotham. The wind felt cool on her dried face paint. The cool October wind whipped her hair over eyes. Gazing at the moon, a grin grew on Ace's face. Opening the duffle bag filled with diamonds she had just stolen. The glittered like the stars, if you could see the stars that is. Feeling as if she had had her fill for the night, Ace was making her way to her vespa.

It took laughing gas, and a few forever smiling guards to get the gems from a jewelry store in the richer part of Gotham. Remembering the people at the jewelry store had cried from the laughing gas and fear set a warm feeling through her. She chortled.

In the past week, Gotham's criminal activity rose five percent. Since the criminal activity in Gotham was already through the ceiling. Now it was well into the atmosphere. Her parents, and every other criminal in the city were out and about killing people, stealing, or both. She fell into the 'both' category.

The sound of metal being crashed in redirected Ace's attention. Zipping the bag closed, she dragged it over to the edge to see what was happening. Her laughter as well as her heart stopped for a moment. Then thudded in her chest as she inventively watched the scene bellow.

The sidekick with messy hair was kicking some random hood. In the muggers hand looked like a woman's handbag. _Idiot. He couldn't even mug someone without getting caught. _Robin slammed the guy into the dumpster. A guffaw erupted from her throat.

Turing his head, Robin's playful expression for beating the bad guy, dropped at the sight of her. A frown replaced his boyish smirk and smoke replaced the fire in his eyes. Ace felt the madness begin to slip from her mind. It was extinguished with every small second she gazed upon him. S mall smile graced her lips.

Perhaps if Ace hadn't been so happy to see the Boy Wonder, if she had been quicker or if her reflexes weren't so staled, she could have prevented what was about to happen.

The hood had silently stood up. While Robin had his back turned Alice caught a glimmer of metal in the moonlight drawing her eyes to the scrawniest, most sorry looking hood, who pulled out a pistol from the inside of his coat, aimed it at Robin, and fired.

The blast bounced off the sides of the alley walls. Blood splattered on the front side of a dumpster. Robin dropped to his knees.

"No!" shrieked Alice. She jumped off the building landing on the man's head feet first; knocking him to the ground and in one fluid motion yanked the gun out of the guy's hand. She was so angry, that before she knew what she was doing she felt it go off in her hands. And when she looked down, the man was in fetal position with his hand clamped over is bleeding stomach.

Throwing the gun down, it landed in the dirty alley way with a clang. A barrel of guilt washed over as she realized what she had just done. _He deserved it. Those guards didn't…_ A moan brought her back to reality.

As Ace ran over to the fallen hero, she saw that he was lying on his stomach in a pool of his own blood. The young thief flipped him onto his back. There was a hole in his arm and a sliver of metal was buried in his torn flesh. Blood leaked from around the edges as Ace studied the wound.

Alice shook him gently. He moaned in pain, but he was awake. His eyes fluttered open. "Alison?"

"Shhh. You'll be okay," said Alice. _I have to get this stitched up. I've watched Mom dig bullets out of Dad loads of times. How hard can it be? But where can I take him where it's safe. A motel might work. But I'll need money and I left my cash at…home. _

Robin let out another moan as another wave of pain hit him. Her mother was right about this. She thought about what Harley had told her when the madness first hit her as she began to pull Robin by his shoulders toward her vespa, which was parked two alleys down.

**Okay, I'm breaking this chapter into three parts, mostly because the chapter is really important and I want everyone to read and think about it. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! They really keep me going, and just so you know, there will be a part after this one, so don't worry. :D**

**With undying gratitude,**

**Lizzy Skellington**


	8. Consternation

_Strolling through the Fun House looking for something to do, since the Joker had realized there was a sudden rise in criminal activity, he began to plan another heist and had told Ace that she should be doing the same. Walking past her parents' bedroom to her own 'lair' as she now called it, Ace heard soft crying. _

_A smile tugged at her lips as she entered the room without knocking. Lying on the bed, black and blue with red all over was a softly crying Harley Quinn. Walking to her Mother, Alice noticed that her left wrist was handcuffed to the bedpost. _

"_Mom. Why are you crying?" Ace asked as she sat on the purple comforter next to her weeping Mother. _

_Quickly sitting up, Harley reached for her daughter. The metal of the cuff clinked against the wood as it held her back. A purple bump recited where her right blue eye would have been, and the corner of her mouth had nearly doubled in size. As Harley held Alice's hand she asked in a small voice, "Did you really blow up a bank?" _

_Laughter, sweet and haunting, filled the room. Ace pulled her hand from her Mother's grasp to hold her stomach as it bounced with mad joy. She looked at her Mother. She was staring right back at her. "Mom, aren't you happy?"_

_Harley sighed. "Yes I am, however just remember one thing that I learned long ago." She motioned her free hand over her face. "You make your bed, you lay in it." _

_Her smile faded slightly as she gazed at her mother. Every bump and bruise seemed so familiar and new at the same time. Her throat began to close again. Then the madness overshadowed her pity and a giggle escaped her lips. _

_Harley began to laugh to. "Would you be a dear and help Mommy out of this?" She asked as she lifted her wrist. _

"_I don't have the key," Ace shrugged as she got off the bed and skipped to her room to plot her next heist. _

Pulling into the Fun House, she felt the Boy Wonder's warm blood drip onto her torso. She had placed him in front of her and held him with one arm and drove with the other. Her parents purple car was not parked in front of the building. Alice gave a sigh of relief. Slowly lifting the helmet off Robin's head, she threw it on the ground.

She put one of Robin's arms around her shoulder and began to drag him to the front door. Alice opened the door and limped to… _Where can I put him? If I l put him on the couch and Mom and Dad walk in, I'm dead. Well I'm already dead if I get caught. Maybe this was a mistake. But I couldn't just leave him there. I love him too much. Did I just think I love him? _

Robin's hand squeezed into her shoulder, which made her jump in surprise. "Where, am I?" He whispered as he tried to keep his head up.

Ace swallowed. She only felt this nervous when she was with her Father. But this was a different kind of nervous. The kind she almost liked. "You're at my place. It's okay, you're safe." Biting her lip she realized on where to take him. "Come on."

"Where are we going know?" he asked as tried to keep his back straight.

"My room," Ace replied simply. Robin tried to tilt away from her but then leaned on her again. Walking them quickly down the hallway, she could tell that he was delusional from the blood loss and shock. She recognized it in her Father almost every other week.

Kicking open the door with her boot, Alice trudged into her room. The Boy Wonder was leaning more heavily on her. Her heart hammered in her chest from worry. Lowering him onto the purple comforter, Ace reached under her bed for her first aid kit. Then she noticed that her purple and black costume had rust colored stains all over it.

Open the box and pulling out disinfectant and small knife, Ace heard a noise that made her whole body shutter. It was the engine of a car. Sweat dripped down her neck as she shakily put the knife back in the box. Her eyes shut with a disheartening conclusion. Her life was over and so was his. They would die slowly and painfully. Ace for wasting fourteen years of the Joker's life and Robin for being Robin. _Unless_.

Reaching into her dresser drawer her hand felt around for her next tool. Her finders and palm eased themselves around the pistol. Ponderously lifting the gun from its place, Alice checked how many bullets were loaded into it. One slightly illuminated piece of metal rested in its case.

Two black eyeliner lines ran down her white face paint as tears escaped her eyes. Suddenly she collapsed onto Robin. He did not stir beneath her. She felt his shallow breath oh her cheek, reassuring her that he was still alive.

"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," she whispered against his face as she planted random kisses on it. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry you got involved with me. I'm sorry you were shot. I'm sorry for this." Ace had draped part of her body over his and placed the barrel of her gun in her mouth. She had position it so that hopefully the bullet would pass through her brain and then into his. "I love you."

Closing her eyes tightly, her finger quivered against the trigger. Just as her finger was about to apply pressure, the gun was suddenly gone from her hand. Ace's eyes open. Staring down at her was the Dark Knight, here to take her to hell. She gripped Robin's costume. "No, no, no, no."

She felt herself being lifted into the air, and then roughly plummeted to the ground. "Please. You don't understand, no one understands." She backed herself next to her dresser. Batman removed some tools from his belt and worked on Robin's arm. After a few moments she heard the bullet fall to the floor with clink. Taking out a laser and gauze, the Caped Crusader closed and bandaged the wound.

She lowered her head into her arms. Something clamed itself around her wrist. Looking up, Ace realized that she was being hand cuffed.

"You seriously injured someone tonight Alison and you kidnapped a second." Batman spoke as he cuffed her other wrist. "I gave you a choice and now I'm making it for you."

"I was only trying to save him," whispered Ace as she stood on her feet.

"No, you were trying to save yourself," said Batman as he picked up the Boy Wonder who had fallen unconscious. Batman began to walk out of the room. Ace followed him.

Tears ran down her eyes as she trudged through her home. _Oh God. I'm sorry. God I'm sorry. But this wouldn't have happen if I hadn't been born. And if I hadn't fell in love. _

"Will he be alright?" whispered Ace as they reached the main room.

"Yes," replied Batman.

Suddenly, the door burst open. "What the hell is the Bat Mobile doing parked in the driveway?" shouted the Joker. He stopped in his tracks and glared at Batman, then lifted his foot. There was a thin blood trail leading from the outside to Ace's bedroom. His eyes lifted to Robin, who had stopped lay motionless in his mentor's arms. His intense gazed turned to Ace, who had froze in her place with blood stains all over her. Grinding his teeth in anger, he realized what happen. "You were trying to save him weren't you? Weren't you?"

Running over to his daughter, a knife appeared from his purple sleeve. Batman tried to block him; however the Joker pushed his aside. Since the Dark Knight was carrying Robin could do nothing with his hands to help. He tried to trip the Joker however, the clown jumped over his leg.

Tackling Ace to the ground, she held her breath. "Now that you are going to Arkham and probably won't say much to anyone, which means no one will know you are my daughter and what you have done. So, like always, I have to fix that. Like I will fix you when the Bat isn't around," as he spoke his face got closer to hers.

More sweat dripped down her temple as a scream exploded from her mouth. In the entire night, that was her biggest mistake, because the Joker placed the blade on the corner of her right lip and began to push slightly upward. Shutting her eyes tightly, Ace began to thrash her body; however the Joker held her down. "I wouldn't do that if I were you Acey, just hold still-."

The weight was lifted from her and then she was being roughly lifted off the ground. "We have to go now Ally," whispered her Mother she cut the chain connecting her hand cuffs with a large pair of pliers. Turning to Batman and her Father, she didn't even cringe. The Caped Crusader was giving consistent hard blows to the Joker. Robin sat on the couch a yard or two away from them.

Perhaps it was the pain on her face was what was making her delusional or perhaps the entire experience was pulling her last sane nerve. However for a second Ace though she saw Robin whisper, "It's okay."

More tears sprang from her eyes as she took a step forward. Then she was being pulled by her Mother towards the front door. She did not fight her. Sirens were heard in the distance and they crescendo as Harley stuffed an envelope into her daughter's hand, on the outside was an address. Ace was shoved onto her vespa.

"Take the long way to Gotham, just like Mommy showed you and go to this place," Harley tapped the envelope. Picking the helmet off the ground, she quickly placed it over her daughter's head. "You can't be seen. Go."

"What about you?" asked Alice who immediately regretted it as she felt her mouth open a bit more.

Kissing the top of the helmet, Harley sadly smiled and said, "I love you, now go!"


	9. Phlegmatic

Ace started the engine and turned around the Fun House. The "long way" was going a mile and a half north and then going west until you saw the bright, musty light of Gotham. Barely feeling the cold night air as she drove on, Alice held back tears. She could hear the distant sounds of sirens and roaring engines.

Anger rose inside her. _If it wasn't for Batman or the police I could be at home… Then the next night I would steal some more and kill. Just like Mom and Dad wanted me too. And have Robin hate me forever. _She sighed into her helmet, making the glass covering her eyes fog up. She slowed her bike to a stop. The corners of her mouth stung and saliva was dripping from them.

Removing her helmet, she gently wiped the spit from her mouth. The hand cuffs rattled against her wrists and bumped her cheeks. The cloth rubbed uncomfortable against the damaged area. Tears welled in her eyes; however Ace decided there had been enough crying for the evening. Setting the bike on its stand, Ace dismounted it and sat on the dusty ground.

Noticing something next to her, she picked it up. It was a piece of torn cloth, about the size of her index finger and the width of her palm. On it was an embroidered "R". She must have ripped it off him when Batman stopped her. Closing her fist, Alice held it to her heart and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she placed the cloth on her lap and reached for the envelope which had crumpled in her left hand.

Running her finger through the top, she plucked out a paper folded in thirds. As she opened in, she saw her Mother's handwriting, which was usually neat, looked hurried. All of the words leaning to the right in curved lines. It read:

_Dear Alice,_

_ Or Ace as you have withed to be called since you went completely mad. Or so you say. It can't see the madness in your eyes as much as the Joker. There is still some humanity in you. If you are reading this, it means the humanity has resurfaced and he found out and is very angry about it. _

_ There is one thing the Joker has never told you, well straight forward anyway. Do whatever you can to survive. Kill, shoot or steal anything to survive. Here is the address to an old friend. Just knock on her door and she will take care of you. Her name is Selina and you do exactly what she tells you to. And if you get caught on the way, I will be in Arkham waiting for you. _

_ If you are wondering how I know all of this, for one, I've lived with the Joker for years. And second before I met your Father, I was a psychiatrist. _

_Love,_

_Mom_

The address was written as the bottom of the page. The place was in a pent house at the heart of Gotham. Putting the letter back in its envelope and placed it under the costume. I kept the "R" in my fist as I placed my helmet on my head and started the bike.

_One hour later:_

With one foot on the vespa and the other firmly planted on the ground keeping her steady, she gazed longingly up at the darkened condo building. Ace had no idea which part of the large structure was Selina's, who ever that was. Looking at the letter again to make sure she had, she searched for which number was the mystery woman's apartment. Her mother had forgotten to add it.

Sighing deeply the young thief realized what she would have to do. _First I would have to find the woman of ask someone if this woman lived there. _Her throat went dry at the thought of asking someone she didn't know about something she knew even less about. _And then if I find her she… might not want me. And I'll be alone again. _

Touching her helmet where he scared mouth lay under, a sad conclusion was met. Crumpling the envelope in her fist, Ace threw it over her shoulder. Her face relaxed into melancholy contentment. She stared longingly at the building one last time. _I was always better alone anyway. _Balancing herself on her vespa, Alice Quinn rode off into the night, feeling more alone than she did on the carousal.

_Thirty minutes later:_

Ace kicked down the door since she had forgotten her key. Empty plant pots littered the shelves, counter tops and floor. Would she expect anything different, after all this was Poison Ivy's apartment. She remembered coming here a lot when she was younger. Before "Aunt Red" had gone away.

Turning on the light, she realized there were only two pieces of furniture in the cramped space. A dusty couch was pushed against the corner and resting against the wall was a sheet less full size bed. Gazing at the bed with want, she turned her head to ignore it.

Her helmet landed on the hardwood floor with a thud. Slumping into the bathroom, which was similar to her own, a curtained off room with a toilet, shower, sink, and medicine cabinet. Alice's muscles burned with pain. Her eyes felt heavy with exhaustion. However there was one task she had been dreading which had to be done tonight.

Gazing into the mirror, tears welled in Alice's eyes. Her face paint and white makeup had mixed together. It looked like someone had painted deep pink on her cheeks in with thick brushes filled with paint and had taken dollop sized strokes.

Reaching to her left, Ace pulled a holey red towel from the rack. Wetting the rag with cold water, she began to wipe the partially dried blood. Mistakenly, she first brushed down. Her cheek felt like it was being pulled apart. Biting on the wet cloth to muffle her screams she gripped the counter in pain.

Breathing deeply, she slowly released the cheep porcelain. Continuing, to wash the reminiscence of the night off her face, Ace dared not to look into the mirror. How far had the Joker cut her face? It seemed like he had carved her face in half. Even though the left side was untouched, it felt like there was a phantom cut was there.

Squeezing the excess substance's into the sink, the rag fell from her hand. Slowly she opened her eyes. She gazed upon her refection; her pale skin was now scarlet and her mouth looked much wider than it should. Laying her index finger next to her split cheek, Alice estimated how long it was. The tip of the mark was even with her broken fingernail, and the first line on her digit.

Instead of her eyes welling up with tears or anger exploding in her chest, Ace simply stood and stared at the mirror. A phlegmatic feeling spread down her neck and infested the rest of her skin. It burrowed deeper, rooting itself on her nerves. It was a feeling that Ace had tried to avoid, however had many times had silently circum to it. It was cold and unforgiving _acceptance_.

She accepted that she should have listened to Batman and should have gone with him. Deep down, that he was right. _They just talk Alison, they just talk._ He was also right about her Mother making her own choice many years ago. _I couldn't just leave her there, could I? _**Yes you could have, and now**__**you** **have to pay for it.**Her Father's voice scolded her even in her head. Her nails racked its way down her arm. The rubbed the mark gently with her palm.

She hadn't done that since Robin became her friend. **More than friends.**The voice whispered in her mind. Her fingers didn't even twitch; they remained calm at her side. _Why should I worry? He's with Batman now. He is the safe one. Not you. _This time it was her own voice scolding herself.

Opening the medicine cabinet, Alice reached for the first aid kit, which was nowhere to be seen. Wanting to bit her lip in thought, and then deciding against it, she remembered a word she was taught long ago. _Improvise. _

Walking over to the dusty couch, the young thief reached into her boot and pulled out a small knife. Throwing one of the cushions across the room, she drove the blade into the fabric. Like removing an appendix, she carefully pulled one on the metal springs up and quickly cut the end of it. Tugging on one of the loosened strings, she cut that as well.

Sitting on the opposite cushion, Ace cut the metal spring down to the part where it is no longer twisted. The metal piece was thicker than a needle; however it would have to do. Cutting a small hole for the thread, Ace realized that she needed to sterilize this.

Running to the bathroom, she checked to see if there was any hot water. Cold H2O splashed onto her hand. Her cheek was beginning to ache painfully. Frantically, she checked in every drawer and cabinet for anything useful to use and they all came up empty. Opening the freezer, Alice saw something in the back of the box. She removed it and found it being very cold, even through her gloves.

Freezer burn was etched along the corners of the bottle. Wiping the frozen water vapor off the label, Ace figured out what it was. _McAllen Whiskey. There's alcohol in… whiskey. _

Uncorking the bottle, she poured some of its contents over the needle. The remaining liquid swished inside the glass as Alice slowly walked into the bathroom. Then backtracked. _There was a reason Dad put whiskey in my mouth when I had a sore tooth, before he took a pair of pliers and tore it out. _Grabbing the drink by the neck, she killed it with one long swig, straight down the hatch.

Nearly coughing up a lung, she stumbled into the bathroom. Before even holding the needle up to her face, Alice stared at her reflection, making herself remember. _This is what he did to you. This is what your Father did to you. _

Sticking the needle into her flesh, Ace began to mend her cheek. _And he will… What? Pay? _Alice gazed at her cheek again. _Yes. Sooner or later he will pay. At my hands or another's he will pay. _Fear lingered on the back of her neck and each stitch seemed to burn more than the one before it.

It took four stitches to completely close the wound entirely. The green thread from the couch and the contrast on her red skin made her bones shudder with eeriness. Turning away from the mirror, her cuffs clanged against the porcelain.

Picking up the needle, which now was covered in blood and lay on the counter, Ace picked the lock on her handcuffs. It was difficult, however after a fit of frustrated breathing and slight cursing; each cuff came off with a click.

Unzipping the back of her bloody costume, Ace undressed and stepped into the shower. As the cold water rained down on her, Ace did not shy away from it. Her focus was on the steel drain. Pink rust swirled round and around until it disappeared. For a slip second, Ace wished she could vanish along with it. _No one would notice anyway. _

Turning off the water, she noticed how tarnished her costume was. There were large blood stains from Robin and her, along with some rips and tears. Putting on her undergarments, she placed her costume in the sink.

Walking to the bed, something caught her eye. It was the torn piece of cloth with the embroidered "R" on it. Picking in up off the floor, she squeezed it in her hand. _Maybe I should throw it away. What if it's bugged or something? I guess if they were going to get me, they would have done so already. _

Raising her fist to her heart, she walked over to the bed and curled into a fetal position. The mattress creaked under her weight, which made her still. The light shined in her eyes; however she could not find the power to get up and turn it off.

Placing the piece of cloth next to her head, she ran her fingers over the stitching on it. _Tomorrow, I will throw this away and never look back, but for the night, I think I've deserved a special treat. _Moving closer to the "R", Alice tried to imagine his warms arms around her as she fell into a cold, deep sleep.

_Six months later: New York:_

Tim Drake was kicking the heavy bag, at his new prep school for boys. His teeth were sliding together in anger. Red scratch marks lined the inside of his palm. He had successfully kept his temper with his classmates and their comments; however his temper was wearing thin.

His fists were white and ached and a thin layer of sweat coated his skin. His body fumed with anger as he remembered what had happen the day before.

"_Damn locker," he mumbled as he spun the dial again and reentered his combination. He heard thundering footsteps come from behind him. Knowing who it was he continued to try and open his locker._

_The footsteps stopped. "Can't Tinny Tim open his locker? Maybe we should help him," said a Teddy Samson, Tim's most hated foe… at the moment. Teddy was big and a dirty blond who liked to fight. He was almost twice the size of Tim, who Teddy thought, would be an easy target. _

_Mixed frustration and anger of being here after Bruce sent him away; Tim gave up on his locker. Worrying that he was about to do something stupid, he tried to walk away._

"_Where do you think you're going?" said Teddy as he grabbed Tim on the back of his collar. _

_Whipping around, Tim's fist collided with Teddy's face… _

"You know I could teach you how to kick higher on that thing," said a voice from behind.

"No offense but I doubt there's anything that anyone in this school could teach me about fighting," said Tim glancing at a bruise he had gotten from a bully, of course the bully was still in the infirmary. Tim had given up. He felt his life had no real meaning. Crime fighting was his meaning. And Batman sent him here because of Alison…

Tim kicked the bag harder.

"Are you sure?" asked the voice.

"I said I'm fine-"said Tim turning around. He was looking into the eyes of Dick Grayson.

"I know he's difficult," said Dick.

Tim smiled for the first time in six months.

"Come on, I'll show you…" said Dick, walking up to the bag.


	10. To My Faithful Readers

To my faithful readers,

Thank you all for the many reviews which you posted. I have read them all and they are what keep me going.

The next part of this story will be up soon. I have already started to type it. I can't say much more except for the title: "Joker's Little Girl: Ace in the Hole."

Thank you again for reading my story, and for sticking with Alice.

-Lizzy Skellingon


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